Department for Business and Trade

Business: National Security

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the value was of accumulated (a) grants (b) loans and (c) equity investments made to firms operating in each of the sensitive areas of the economy set out under the National Security and Investment Act 2021; and if she will publish this information in a tabular format.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department for Business and Trade does not hold data regarding the value of accumulated (a) grants (b) loans and (c) equity investments made to firms operating in each of the sensitive areas of the economy set out under the National Security and Investment Act 2021. The Annual Report of the National Security and Investment Act, published by the Cabinet Office, provides details of notifications received from firms operating by sector of the economy and country of origin.

Department for Business and Trade: Theft

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what data their Department holds on the (a) number and (b) total cost of replacing (i) laptops, (ii) mobile phones, (iii) memory sticks and (iv) external hard drives that have been (A) lost and (B) stolen in the last year.

Kevin Hollinrake: The figures for the Department for Business and Trade from 1 April 2023 to 10 November 2023 for phones and laptops are below. Item NumberCostPhone68£ 30,285Laptop28£ 30,734TOTAL96 £ 61,019  The Department has no record of lost removable devices, including memory sticks or external hard-drives. All departmental IT is fully security encrypted. The departmental security unit records and investigates each reported loss from theDepartment. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries. Any mobile device reported as lost is immediately and remotely deactivated and thecontents deleted. The user account on any laptop reported as lost is immediately.and remotely locked. There has been no data loss or compromise as a result of these losses.

Department for Business and Trade: Incentives

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the value was of non-cash vouchers awarded to staff working for (a) her core Department, (b) the Department for International Trade and (c) the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy as performance-related bonuses in 2022-23.

Kevin Hollinrake: a) DBT did not exist during the 2022-23 performance year, so awarded no vouchers.b) Non-cash vouchers to the value of £348,510 were awarded to staff in the Department for International Trade in 2022-23.c) Non-cash vouchers to the value of £371,730 were awarded to staff in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in 2022-23.

Water Supply: Standards

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to create a centralised certification body for water tanks.

Kevin Hollinrake: My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State does not currently plan to bring forward legislative proposals in this area.

Import Controls: National Security

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what powers are available to which of His Majesty’s ministers to restrict supply of components to critical national infrastructure from foreign firms.

Greg Hands: The Procurement Act will enable Cabinet Office Ministers to mandate that a supplier is debarred from specific types of contracts where the supplier poses an unacceptable risk to national security. The Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 enables Department of Science, Innovation & Technology Ministers to impose, monitor and enforce controls on public communications providers’ use of designated vendors’ goods, services and facilities within UK public telecommunications networks. The National Cyber Security Centre and the newly formed National Protective Security Authority provide expert advice and guidance to both public and private organisations to identify risks and vulnerabilities to the UK’s national infrastructure.

Water Supply: Plastics

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has received recent representations on the disintegrating of plastic within internal baffles of household water tanks.

Kevin Hollinrake: My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State has not received recent representations on the disintegrating of plastic within internal baffles of household water tanks.

Water Supply: Standards

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to establish an independent body to (a) identify and (b) monitor public health threats from defective household (i) boilers, (ii) water tanks and (iii) other products.

Kevin Hollinrake: My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State does not currently plan to bring forward legislative proposals in this area.

Export Controls: National Security

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what powers are available to her to impose export controls in the interests of national security.

Greg Hands: The Export Control Act 2002 provides broad powers to control and licence exports, trade, transfers of technology and technical assistance for military goods and technology. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria (SELC). These Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework, which requires ECJU to think hard about the possible impact of providing equipment, and the capabilities it could support. HM Government will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with these Criteria, including if there is a risk of diversion to a weapon of mass destruction or military programme of concern, or if the export could present a risk to the UK’s national security.

UK Trade with EU: Exports

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of trends in the level of export costs to the EU for small businesses on the economy of (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Greg Hands: We are better equipped than ever to support SMEs, including those in Enfield and across London, to export. The Department offers a wide range of free support services via great.gov.uk including our Export Support Service, International Markets network and through Export Champions, such as PME Cakes in Enfield. UK Export Finance (UKEF) also supports SMEs, which make up 84% of the companies supported directly with a UKEF product in 2022-23. London exported £20.3 billion goods to the EU in the 12 months to June 2023. An increase of 26% in current prices since 2018; the largest percentage increase of all the English regions. The Department does not hold data on Enfield at a borough or constituency level.

Export Credit Guarantees: Carbon Emissions

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what progress UKEF has made on (a) determining scope one and two and (b) estimating scope three emissions in its portfolio until 2050.

Greg Hands: UK Export Finance (UKEF) publishes a partial scope one and two emissions inventory in its Annual Report and Accounts (ARA), consistent with the Greening Government Commitments.The ARA also includes a partial scope 3 emissions inventory, including emissions associated with business travel, and (since financial year 2020/2021) estimates of its financed emissions. UKEF’s ARAs are laid in Parliament annually and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-export-finance-annual-reports-and-accounts.

Energy: Prices

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate she has made of the effect of the British Industry Supercharger on industrial electricity prices compared to other countries.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Supercharger will introduce targeted measures to ensure the energy costs for key UK industries are in line with other major economies around the world – levelling the playing field for British companies across Europe.Analysis shows that the Supercharger proposals, when fully implemented, will reduce average electricity prices for UK Energy Intensive Industries by £24 to £31/MWh, having a direct impact on their competitiveness and reducing global carbon emissions.

Supply Chains

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what her Department's definition of a critical supply chain is; and which supply chains meet that definition.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The government defines a critical supply chain as one that is vital to the UK’s economy, national security, or essential services. This covers a range of supply chains from critical minerals to essential medicines. The government does not publish details on which supply chains are critical due to the sensitive nature of this information. My department will shortly be publishing a Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy, which will outline the steps that the UK has taken and will be taking to enhance critical imports and supply chain resilience.

Cheese: Canada

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to extend the eligibility of British cheese producers to export cheese to Canada under the reserve for the European Union within Canada's World Trade Organisation Tariff Rate Quota until 31 December 2025.

Greg Hands: Negotiations with Canada on this issue are ongoing. Our key aim is to ensure that we maintain current market access for the UK dairy sector. We have longstanding rights to this access at the World Trade Organisation, and a long-term solution is in the best interests of businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. We continue to make that clear to the Canadian government at Ministerial and official level.

Audit: Reform

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the answer of 19 April 2023 to Question 180116 on Audit: Reform, how many hours officials in her Department have worked on legislative proposals on reform of audit and corporate governance since the publication of the Restoring trust in audit and corporate governance white paper, CP382.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Department does not keep records of work assignment at a project level, nor on an hourly basis. The table below sets out estimates of the number of officials in the Department who were working on legislative proposals for reform of audit and associated legislative reforms of corporate governance, in September of each year since the publication of the White Paper in 2021.September 2021c. 21September 202219September 202315

Retail Trade: Urban Areas

Dehenna Davison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to help support traditional high street retailers to expand into e-commerce.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Digital Exporting Programme provides support for UK companies looking to sell their products to international consumers through digital channels such as ecommerce. Digital Trade and Ecommerce Advisers provide one-to-one support and can help with everything from developing a digital commerce strategy to making websites more attractive to international audiences. UK Export Academy provides sector-specific webinars, masterclasses and virtual missions, helping businesses grow by finding new customers and increasing sales.Help to Grow: Management is an intensive national training programme helping thousands of SME businesses to improve their productivity and grow their businesses, including through upskilling them in digital adoption.The Retail Sector Council recently published a paper on the challenges facing the sector and is encouraging a dialogue with business to work with government to identify measures that both business and government should consider.

Batteries: Lithium

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the implications for her policies of research on the fire risk associated with lithium-ion batteries.

Kevin Hollinrake: UK product safety laws require all consumer products to be safe. Products using lithium-ion batteries must comply with essential safety requirements set out in law.The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business and Trade, has established a multi-disciplinary safety study to understand data and evidence of risks in this area and has commissioned Warwick Manufacturing Group, to conduct research examining the safety of lithium-ion batteries. This forms part of cross Government work involving the Home Office and the Department for Transport alongside London Fire Brigade and the National Fire Chiefs Council.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Women

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many and what proportion of SCS2 civil servants on full-time equivalent contracts in his Department are women.

David Rutley: The FCDO's ambition is to be a truly inclusive organisation that reflects the diversity of the population we serve. Understanding any remaining barriers to progression for women and improving the representation of women in senior roles is a focus for the FCDO this year. As of 30 September 2023, of those SCS2 on full-time equivalent contracts 37 per-cent are women (52 women).

Gaza: Disasters Emergency Committee

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Disasters Emergency Committee on the potential of establishing an appeal for Gaza.

David Rutley: The UK remains committed to mitigating the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. We are working closely with our international partners on ensuring humanitarian aid reaches the people who need it most. We are engaged with the Disasters Emergency Committee on their plans for launching appeals. The UK has committed to a further £30 million in humanitarian assistance that will be distributed among trusted partners.

Gaza: Israel

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on restoring the supply of (a) food, (b) water, (c) fuel and (d) medicines to Gaza.

David Rutley: In conversations with their counterparts the Prime Minister and former Foreign Secretary have been clear: whilst we support Israel's legitimate right to defend itself, and we are aware of Israel's concerns about the stockpiling of aid by Hamas terrorists, that does not negate the need for aid to urgently get to those who do need it in Gaza. The Prime Minister has been very clear about the need for unimpeded and safe humanitarian access for lifesaving aid, so it reaches civilians. We are urging Israel to open other border crossings, such as Kerem Shalom, to enable more humanitarian aid to reach civilians in need and we will support humanitarian pauses where they help aid to enter. The UK remains committed to mitigating the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and we continue to call for International Humanitarian Law to be respected, while standing alongside the people of Israel against the terrorist group Hamas.

Bahrain: Human Rights

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 7 July 2023 to Question 191641 on Bahrain: Gulf Strategy Fund, what assessment his Department has made of the capacity of the (a) Bahraini civil societies and (b) Bahrain Journalist Association to (i) operate independently of and (ii) voice opposition to the Bahraini authorities.

David Rutley: The FCDO remains committed to supporting reform in Bahrain and working with civil society organisations and journalists, including through projects delivered via the Gulf Strategy Fund. We recognise there are challenges to freedom of expression in Bahrain and await the new media law, in which we have encouraged the Government of Bahrain to include improved protections for journalists and to enhance wider media freedoms.

Bahrain: Prisons

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of prison reform in Bahrain in the last five years.

David Rutley: We welcome the positive steps taken by the Government of Bahrain leading to progress in a number of human rights areas, including reforms to the prison system. This includes the development of Alternative Sentencing legislation (which has benefitted over 5,680 individuals to date), the introduction of an open prison system, the implementation of a new child justice system, and the establishment of specialist human rights oversight bodies. The UK remains committed to supporting reforms in Bahrain and to encouraging the government to meet its human rights commitments.

Hamas: Hostage Taking

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help secure the safe release of hostages in Gaza.

David Rutley: The Government's thoughts are with those families who are facing unimaginable uncertainty and fear because of Hamas' despicable attacks and kidnappings. This is a fast-moving situation and we do not comment on individual cases. The safety of all British nationals continues to be our utmost priority and we continue to do everything we can to secure the release of hostages, including working with Israeli counterparts and international partners to ensure British nationals in Gaza can leave safely.

Business: Human Rights

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of (a) calling for stronger provisions on (i) legal liability and (ii) redress for victims and (b) including references to a right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment in a UN binding treaty on business and human rights.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the Government's policy position was in preparation of the 9th Session of the negotiations for a UN Binding Treaty on Business and Human Rights.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government is committed to supporting the UN Guiding Principles on business and human rights, and in response produced a National Action Plan. The UK attended the 9th Session of the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations, which discussed the merits of introducing a new instrument or framework that could elaborate on business human rights responsibilities. The UK statement, which is available on the Working Group website, outlined suggestions on provisions of the draft instrument text, including the definition of victims. We seek flexibility in the construction of the instrument and in the negotiations process, and will continue to engage in future Working Group Sessions.

Gaza: British Nationals Abroad

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of British citizens in Gaza.

David Rutley: The safety of all British nationals continues to be our utmost priority. We are using all the tools available to us to maximise our chances of bringing British nationals back home to their loved ones. The Foreign Secretary will work with his Israeli counterparts along with international partners to establish a safe passage for more British nationals out of Gaza, following the opening of the Rafah Crossing. We are not commenting on numbers of British citizens within Gaza in order to protect ongoing operations.

Afghanistan: Women's Rights

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps with international donors to support work by local NGOs in Afghanistan on advancing the rights of women and girls.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK condemns the Taliban's restrictions on Afghan women and girls. We continue to support girls' education in Afghanistan through bilateral and multilateral contributions to NGOs, UN partners and multilateral funds, and we are supporting Afghanistan civil society and women-led organisations through our contribution to the Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund.FCDO officials and ministers regularly engage with women-led organisations in Afghanistan, including local and international NGOs and UN Women. On June 27, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, hosted a meeting of Afghan women leaders to discuss the impact of the restrictions, as well as the inclusion of Afghan women in the future political process.

Israel: Palestinians

Andrew Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that Palestinian civilians can secure safe passage out of Gaza.

Andrew Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help facilitate the opening of an international humanitarian corridor in Gaza.

David Rutley: Our focus is on securing safe and unimpeded humanitarian access and the UK is leading calls for humanitarian pauses and for the opening of the Kerem Shalom crossing to facilitate delivery of critical humanitarian aid. The UK Government is at the forefront of the global efforts to help Palestinian people access the vital support they need and has committed an additional £30 million of aid for the Occupied Palestinian Territories to help provide essential relief items such as food, water and shelter. This funding will allow key UN agencies and trusted partners to provide essential relief items and services.

Ismail Haniyeh

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on the role of Ismail Haniyeh in supporting Hamas terrorist activity from Qatar.

David Rutley: It is the longstanding policy of successive British Governments that we do not comment on intelligence matters. The UK Government closely follows the security situation in the Middle East and maintains a regular dialogue with international counterparts.

Western Sahara: Human Rights

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Western Sahara; and what steps he is taking to help promote accountability for assaults against Sahrawi human rights defenders.

David Rutley: The UK is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights, including in Western Sahara and the Tindouf refugee camps. We consistently support language in relevant UN Security Council Resolutions that encourages the parties to continue efforts to enhance human rights in Western Sahara. We support the work of Staffan de Mistura, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, and welcomed his September visit to the region. We continue to engage key partners to encourage constructive engagement with the political process. We also discuss human rights with the Moroccan authorities including through our bilateral dialogues.

Western Sahara: Climate Change

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to support people whose livelihoods have been affected by climate change in Western Sahara.

David Rutley: The UK is committed to tackling climate change. In the Maghreb region, climate action and collaboration to mitigate or adapt to impacts, including on agriculture, tourism and fisheries, is a priority for UK engagement and support. Such engagement forms part of our dialogue with regional governments, UN agencies, and multilateral development banks. These partners are involved in practical collaboration through initiatives such as the Breakthroughs Agenda, while bilateral programming includes work to support more accurate climate and weather data to inform action. We are also working closely with the United Arab Emirates COP28 presidency to press for additional funding for vulnerable communities.

Western Sahara: Refugees

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made for the potential implications for his policies of allegations of (a) forced disappearances and (b) degrading treatment of female Sahrawi refugees in the Tindouf camps.

David Rutley: The UK is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights, including in Western Sahara and the Tindouf refugee camps. We consistently support language in relevant UN Security Council Resolutions that encourages the parties to continue efforts to enhance human rights in Western Sahara. We support the work of Staffan de Mistura, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, and welcomed his September visit to the region. We continue to engage key partners to encourage constructive engagement with the political process. We also discuss human rights with the Moroccan authorities including through our bilateral dialogues.

Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief

George Eustice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to establish the role of the Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief on a permanent basis.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Government is committed to the role of the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for FoRB and has had three Special Envoys to date.The current Special Envoy, Fiona Bruce MP, is a passionate advocate for FoRB, and this year was re-elected to serve a second term as the Chair of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance, a network of 42 countries committed to protecting and promoting FoRB.Defending FoRB for all is a longstanding priority for the UK Government. We shall continue to stand up for the rights of all individuals, and use our position at the UN Human Rights Council, and on the UN Security Council, to ensure violations and abuses of FoRB are highlighted and addressed.

India: Religious Freedom

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Indian counterpart on the use of anti-conversion laws in that country.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The British High Commission in New Delhi consistently monitors human rights including the use of anti-conversion laws across India. The UK Government has a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India and we discuss all elements of our relationship, including human rights and Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), and raise issues where we have them. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, raised human rights and Freedom of Religion or Belief with the Indian Government during his visit to India in May. He also met representatives of diverse faith groups.

South Sudan and Sudan: Health Services

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle (a) malaria outbreaks and (b) other health crises in (i) Sudan and (ii) South Sudan.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: In Sudan, the UK continues to provide support to the health sector through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF). The UK is a top donor to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, pledging £1 billion to the Global Fund over the next three years. This Fund treated 4.2 million cases of malaria in Sudan and South Sudan in 2022. To effectively tackle disease outbreaks in South Sudan, the FCDO works closely with the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team who aid investigations and coordinate information flow between the South Sudanese ministries of Health, World Health Organization and in-country partners. The UK's Health Pooled Fund, co-funded by with other partners, has treated 1.6 million children in South Sudan for common childhood diseases and vaccinated over 288,000 children.

Sudan: Visas

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on taking steps to support evacuees from Sudan who are approaching the end of their six-month compassionate dispensation visas.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Where a person has leave in the UK but is unable to return home they should apply for Leave Outside the Rules using the FLR(HRO) form [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-extend-stay-in-the-uk-flrhro]. Each case will be assessed on its merits. If they are unable to afford the fee then a fee waiver application can be made here: [https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/product/fee-waiver].

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Chagossians (a) in the UK and (b) on the islands have been given a role in negotiations with Mauritius over the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands.

David Rutley: Negotiations over the British Indian Ocean Territory/ Chagos Archipelago are between the UK and Mauritius. We recognise the future of the islands is an important issue for many Chagossians. UK Government ministers and officials met Chagossian groups representing communities in the UK, Mauritius and the Seychelles in February, May and October to update on the progress of negotiations, and hear their views.

South Sudan and Sudan: Health Services

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support (a) the restoration of essential health services in the conflict zones of Sudan and (b) South Sudan to provide health services for refugees.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: In Sudan, the UK continues to provide support to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF). In this calendar year, we have provided £3.5 million to ICRC, to support their 2023 appeal, which includes support to health facilities. In South Sudan, the UK has been a leading donor to the health sector for more than ten years, spending over £280 million. Our Health Pooled Fund programme, co-funded by partners, seeks to deliver improved health and wellbeing for the population of South Sudan. This programme supports 512 public health facilities across seven of South Sudan's ten states and around 4,000 community health workers to deliver essential health services.

Senegal: Elections

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to offer support to civil society organisations in Senegal for (a) election monitoring and (b) promoting democratic practices ahead of that country’s elections in 2024.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Peaceful, free and credible elections are essential to Senegal's stability. Our Ambassador and Embassy in Dakar regularly reinforce these messages, together with international partners, with the Senegalese Government and civil society groups. The Embassy will monitor the upcoming Presidential elections process closely. We are also exploring support to civil society groups through our International Programme Fund to reinforce democratic practices, specifically media freedom, during the elections period.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Rwanda

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce tensions on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is committed to supporting efforts to build stability and reduce violence in the Democractic Republic of Congo (DRC). We continue to monitor the concerning situation in the east closely and its grave humanitarian consequences. We regularly raise the conflict with the DRC, Rwanda, and the region, where we urge all parties to deliver on their commitments, agreed through the Nairobi and Luanda processes. This includes the cessation of hostilities, respect for sovereignty and agreed withdrawal by armed groups including M23. The UK firmly believes the regional peace processes provide the best means by which to achieve a lasting peace and offer them our full support. The UK is the current chair of the International Contact Group for the Great Lakes where we work with likeminded partners to support progress on the ground, and most recently met, at senior official level, on 8 November. I met with President Kagame and Foreign Minister Biruta during my visit to Rwanda in late August, where I encouraged de-escalation and emphasised the need for a peaceful political solution. I also met with DRC Vice Prime Minister Kamerhe in October where I delivered the same message.

Nnamdi Kanu

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 18 October 2023 to question 199965 on Nnamdi Kanu, what assessment he has made of the implications for his position on Mr Nnamdi Kanu of Opinion No. 25/2022 of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Working Group on Arbitrary Detention at its ninety-third session, between 30 March and 8 April 2022, published on 17 August 2022.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The British Government takes the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention's opinion in this case very seriously. Ministers and officials have raised Nnamdi Kanu's case with the Nigerian authorities on multiple occasions. The former Foreign Secretary last raised his case with the then Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama on 14 March 2023 and the British High Commissioner raised the case with the Nigerian Attorney General and National Security Advisor on 24 and 30 October 2023 respectively. FCDO officials continue to be in regular contact with representatives of Mr Kanu in the United Kingdom and in Nigeria. The Foreign Secretary continues to take the steps he considers most effective regarding our consular assistance to Mr Kanu and keeps these under review.

Indigenous Peoples: Human Rights

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to United Nations press release entitled General Assembly Adopts Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples; ‘Major Step Forward’ towards Human Rights for All, Says President, published on 13 September 2007, whether it remains the Government’s policy that (a) national minority groups and (b) other ethnic groups within the UK do not fall within the scope of the indigenous peoples to which the Declaration applies.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK fully recognises that individuals belonging to indigenous communities are entitled to the full protection of their human rights and fundamental freedoms in international law. The UK supports the provisions in the Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) that underline this. Human rights are universal and apply equally to all. Our position remains that national minority groups, and other ethnic groups within the territory of the United Kingdom, and its overseas territories, do not fall within the scope of indigenous people, to which UNDRIP applies.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support the Government has provided to partners in (a) South and (b) Central Asia since Pakistan's decision to repatriate Afghan nationals.

Leo Docherty: We have committed £16 million since September to the International Organisation for Migration in Afghanistan to support vulnerable undocumented people returning from Pakistan and Iran. Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have not reported any substantial cross-border movement following Pakistan's decision. We continue to monitor the situation for increased movement over the borders with Afghanistan, and for any indication others may also look to repatriate Afghans residing in Central Asia.

Antisemitism

Nicola Richards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the European Union on rising levels ofanti-Semitism.

Leo Docherty: Antisemitism has no place in our or any society. The UK Government is committed to international cooperation to promote education, remembrance and research about the Holocaust. Lord Pickles, the UK's Special Envoy for post-Holocaust issues, visited Warsaw in October to engage with civil society, historical institutions and the Jewish community on post-Holocaust issues. The UK Government has engaged closely with counterparts in the EU institutions and Member States following the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October, including as part of a meeting between the Prime Minister and Commission President von der Leyen on 2 November.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Women

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many and what proportion of civil servants on temporary contracts in his Department are women.

David Rutley: The FCDO's ambition is to be a truly inclusive organisation that reflects the diversity of the population we serve. As of 30 September 2023, of those on temporary and casual contracts 49.6 per-cent are women (199 women).

Russia: Agricultural Machinery

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with EU counterparts on exports of agricultural equipment by EU companies to Russia.

Leo Docherty: The UK and EU continue to cooperate on all elements of sanctions policy, from design and implementation to anti-circumvention activity. The former Foreign Secretary emphasised the importance of continued alignment to EU ambassadors in October, as did the PM with President von der Leyen in early November. The UK has prohibited the export of certain items which can be used in agricultural production, including tractors and cutting blades, because of their potential military application. The Government has always been clear that our sanctions do not target food, with carve-outs included in UK sanctions to avoid unintended consequences for food security.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed cession of the Chagos Islands on (a) British regional interests and (b) wider regional security.

David Rutley: The UK and Mauritius are in ongoing negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)/Chagos Archipelago. Maintaining the full and effective operation of the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, which plays a crucial role in regional and global security, is essential. The UK and Mauritius have publicly committed to ensuring that any agreement reached between our two countries will do this.

China: Sanctions

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) economic and (b) financial sanctions have been imposed on Chinese nationals in the last five years.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK has imposed asset freezes on six Chinese nationals in the last five years.

Russia: Sanctions

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help prevent evasion of Russian oil price cap sanctions.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The oil sanctions imposed by the UK and its partners, including the oil price cap, are working. Russia's oil revenues fell 25 per-cent year-on-year between January and September 2023, while the cap has also been effectively protecting global oil market security. The UK and our Coalition partners are aware of circumvention risks and employ strategies to minimise them. The UK has placed new sanctions on entities used by Russia to attempt to lessen the impact of our oil sanctions. We also continue to lead active discussions with our partners on the most effective means of continuing to tackle circumvention and increasing Russia's costs in doing so.The UK has implemented a strong enforcement approach focused on prohibition, with the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), HMRC, and the National Crime Agency jointly considering cases which may be appropriate for criminal prosecution. On 12 October, the UK published a joint maritime advisory statement directed at government and private sector actors involved in the trade of Russian crude and refined products. The statement provided recommendations concerning sanctions-compliant practices that reduce exposure to possible circumvention risks.

Russia: Agricultural Machinery

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what sanctions apply to the export of agricultural equipment to Russia by UK manufacturers.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Government has always been clear that our sanctions do not target food. They contain carve-outs to avoid unintended consequences for food security, including a General Licence published in November 2022 which permits payments in connection with food, fertiliser, seed and to be made to persons designated under our Russia sanctions regime. We have prohibited the export of certain items, which can be used in agricultural production, including tractors and cutting blades, because of their potential military application.

Myanmar: Humanitarian Aid

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to provide humanitarian support to the people of Myanmar.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK has provided more than £120 million in humanitarian and development assistance since the February 2021 coup, focused on life-saving assistance, emergency healthcare and education. This includes supporting the most vulnerable internally displaced persons, by providing food, water, hygiene and sanitation services, shelter and medical equipment.

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-pacific Partnership

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Business and Trade during negotiation of accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership; and what recent assessment he has made of the potential preference erosion impact of the UK's accession on exporters to the UK in developing countries not party to that agreement.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government must balance our commitment to support developing countries to reduce poverty through trade with the domestic interests of our consumers and producers and our broader strategic interests such a joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).Agricultural commodity exports are critical to many developing countries. That is reflected through the market access we offer in our Economic Partnership Agreements and the Developing Countries Trade Scheme, and is something we address in our portfolio of trade-related technical assistance.

Trade: USA

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to seek admission to the US-EU Trade and Technology Council.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Government is not seeking admission to the US-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) but continues to work closely with key partners, including the EU and US, on our shared trade and technology priorities, advancing UK interests and exploring further areas for cooperation where mutually beneficial.

Myanmar: Arms Trade

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the sale of arms to the authorities in Myanmar that were previously purchased by and for authorities in other countries.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Government takes its strategic export control responsibilities very seriously. We examine each application for controlled items on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. The Strategic Export Licensing Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to consider carefully the impact of the export of items and their capabilities. When assessing an export licence, the Government considers the risk of the end user diverting the equipment to another end user, such as the authorities in Myanmar.The trade of military goods and technology to Myanmar directly, or through third countries, is prohibited by the Myanmar (Sanctions) Regulations 2021. The Government will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. This includes Criterion 1, respect for the UK's international obligations and commitments, in particular sanctions and the risk of diversion, Criterion 7. All licences are kept under careful and continual review as standard. We are able to suspend, refuse or revoke licences as circumstances require.

Israeli Settlements: Crimes of Violence

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will raise the matter of settler violence in the South Hebron Hills with the Israeli Government.

Leo Docherty: Our position is clear: we strongly condemn any incidence of violence against settlers by Palestinians. Reports of Palestinian civilians being murdered by settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are appalling. Israel must take tangible steps to grip settler violence, and to hold those responsible accountable. The Prime Minister and the former Foreign Secretary have raised this with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Cohen, and we have also stressed the importance of the Israel security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population. As the Prime Minister said, we stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, who are also victims of Hamas. We continue to urge all sides not to take steps which would inflame tensions and move us away from the cause of peace.

Department of Health and Social Care

Health and Social Care Leadership in England Review

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made towards implementing the recommendations of the Messenger Review.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Finance

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 13 September 2023 to Question 198352 on Dental Services: Cornwall, how funding recovered from NHS dentists may be spent by his Department.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dementia: International Cooperation

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the World Health Organisation’s Global Action Plan on the Public Health Response to dementia Health Ministers and the Health Ministers communiqué from Japan’s presidency of the G7, if he will write to the WHO secretariat to support calls for a 10-year extension to the Global Action Plan on dementia.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Databases

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times unauthorized parties have gained access to (a) sensitive data and (b) confidential information on the Federated Data Platform in the past twelve months.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Semaglutide

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the total number of patients in England that NHS weight management services has capacity to provide semaglutide treatment for in the next 12 months.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Semaglutide

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of the NHS providing semaglutide injections to eligible individuals in the next 12 months.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners: Mid Bedfordshire

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people on waiting lists for GP appointments as of November 2023 in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Mid Bedfordshire

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken to access dental services in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners: Mid Bedfordshire

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of (i) GPs and (ii) dentists in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Palliative Care: Disadvantaged

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure equitable access to palliative and end of life care services.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Liver Diseases: Screening

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the letter of 7 March 2023 from the then Minister for Social Care to the Chief Executive of the British Liver Trust, whether it remains his policy that fibroscans will be in use at 100 community diagnostic centres by March 2025; how many fibroscans have been delivered to community diagnostic centres since March 2023; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of setting a new target.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Primary Health Care

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of (a) dentists, (b) GPs and (c) pharmacists per 100,000 people in each integrated care system area; and if he will publish those estimates by Index of Multiple Deprivation.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Artificial Intelligence

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 29 March 2023 to Question 173068 on Mental Health Services: Artificial Intelligence, when he plans to publish the results of the app testing.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Databases

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to monitor the use of the Federated Data Platform.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Databases

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that the provider of the Federated Data Platform is prohibited from selling data.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Databases

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Federated Data Platform protects the confidentiality of patient details outside of (a) clinical and (b) research requirements.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Databases

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to inform patients about the (a) Federated Data Platform and (b) use of their data.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Air Pollution

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve indoor air quality in (a) low-income homes and (b) urban areas.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Radiology: Telemedicine

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the public purse was of outsourcing radiology scans to external teleradiology companies in each of the last five years.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Care Workers: Minimum Wage

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of care workers earning the minimum wage.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Electronic Cigarettes: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the impact banning vaping for children will have on adults.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Gastrointestinal System: Diseases

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the implementation of the (a) actions and (b) recommendations made by the Getting it Right First Time specialty report on gastroenterology in reducing unwarranted variation in care, published on 9 September 2021.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times his Department answered Named Day written parliamentary questions stating that it would not be possible to answer a question within the usual time period, in the last 12 months.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Databases

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there have been any instances of unauthorised parties gaining access to (a) sensitive data and (b) confidential information stored on the Federated Data Platform in the last 12 months.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Respiratory System: Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with departments in Northern Ireland on the potential impact of (a) covid-19, (b) flu and (c) other respiratory infections on people with (i) cystic fibrosis and (ii) other long-term lung conditions in Northern Ireland in winter 2023.

Maria Caulfield: The Department is only responsible for these matters in England as health is a devolved matter. We have therefore had no such discussions with the relevant departments in Northern Ireland.

Respiratory System: Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the impact of (a) covid-19, (b) flu and (c) other respiratory infections on people with (i) cystic fibrosis and (b) other long-term lung conditions in winter 2023.

Maria Caulfield: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is an independent group of experts which advises the Government health departments on immunisations and the prevention of infectious disease in all four nations of the United Kingdom. For both the COVID-19 and flu vaccination programmes, the JCVI has advised a targeted approach to protect the most vulnerable from severe disease, namely hospitalisation and death, including older individuals and individuals with specified existing clinical conditions. In autumn 2023, individuals with chronic respiratory disease, including cystic fibrosis, are eligible for a COVID-19 and flu vaccination in all nations of the UK, as advised by JCVI. It is also important that these individuals also take up any of the national immunisations for which they are eligible, as this is the best way to protect themselves, their families and wider society.NHS England wrote on 27th July to integrated care boards (ICBs) and trusts setting out the approach to winter planning and the key steps needed to deliver operational resilience across the National Health Service this winter. The NHS England letter includes a summary of ICBs’ responsibilities in relation to high-impact actions to prevent avoidable emergency admissions, including frailty services, virtual wards, urgent community response services, single point of access for urgent care, and acute respiratory infection hubs, and support timely and effective hospital discharge including care transfer hubs. Acute Respiratory Infection Hubs should continue prioritising acute respiratory infection and provide same day urgent assessment with the benefit of releasing capacity in accident and emergency and general practice to support system pressures.

Gynaecology: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reduced funding for specialist GP clinics for gynaecological services on those services in Northern Ireland.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with stakeholders on the provision of gynaecological services in Northern Ireland.

Maria Caulfield: Health policy is largely devolved, and health services in Northern Ireland are a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. The Department of Health and Social Care has therefore not made any specific assessment of the provision of gynaecological services, including in general practice, in Northern Ireland.Ministerial meetings with external organisations are routinely published quarterly on GOV.UK.

Operating Theatres: Fires

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that surgical (a) fires and (b) burns are included as patient safety events reported onto the Learn from Patient Safety Events system.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what accountability mechanisms are included in the NHS England Learn from Patient Safety Events system to hold (a) commissioners and (b) providers to account on patient safety (i) records and (ii) incidences.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to introduce mandatory reporting of surgical (a) fires and (b) burns by NHS England.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the incidences of surgical (a) fires and (b) burns in the NHS.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many surgical fires took place in each NHS integrated care system in each year since 2019.

Maria Caulfield: Any unexpected or unintended incident which could have or did lead to harm to one or more patients can be recorded on the Learn from Patient Safety Events (LFPSE) service, to support local and national learning. This would include incidents caused by surgical fires or burns.Providers are encouraged to foster a positive safety culture among their staff, and ensure an appropriate local focus on incident recognition, recording, and response.Recording onto LFPSE is a voluntary process, except where reporting to NHS England fulfils duties for other statutory mandatory requirements, such as reporting notifiable incidents to the Care Quality Commission (CQC). NHS England shares all such data with the CQC. Notifiable incidents include events resulting in “serious harm” or the death of a service user, and therefore the most serious surgical fires or burns are subject to mandatory reporting. However, providers are encouraged to record all patient safety incidents, irrespective of the level of harm, to support local and national learning.Published National Safety Standards for Invasive Procedures include a requirement for a risk assessment and management plan to minimise the risk of surgical fires in the perioperative environment. They require that multidisciplinary team training should involve rehearsal and analysis of typical and emergency scenarios, such as a surgical fire, and that prior to surgery, any fire risk and the management plan are discussed and confirmed.LFPSE is not designed for performance management. However, it supports certain oversight functions within providers, including the ability to review all records submitted by staff, and to mark them as either meeting certain other requirements, such as notification to the CQC, or not. This supports good governance within the provider, encouraging scrutiny of recorded events, and the fulfilment of other statutory or national policy reporting requirements. LFPSE data is being made available to integrated care boards and regional teams to facilitate their roles in safety oversight and provider improvement support.NHS England does not hold or collect information on the number of surgical fires which occur. Although incidents where serious harm and death are captured within LFPSE, and trusts may choose to record lower levels of harm, there is no category for surgical fires within the existing reporting system with which they could be counted and therefore any count would not be definitive.

Epilepsy: Children

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the potential merits of utilising medicinal cannabis to treat children with intractable epilepsy.

Andrew Stephenson: The licensed cannabis-based medicine Epidyolex is prescribed and routinely funded by the National Health Service for the treatment of people aged two years old and over with Dravet syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. This follows approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and assessment by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).Clinical guidelines from NICE state that there is insufficient evidence of safety and efficacy to support a population-wide practice recommendation for the use of unlicensed cannabis-based products, for the treatment of adults and children with severe treatment-resistant epilepsy. NICE also made recommendations for further research to inform future commissioning decisions.The Government encourages manufacturers to invest in research and clinical trials, and offers scientific and research advice from the MHRA and the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

Dementia: Clinical Trials

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the National Institute for Health and Care Research's Dementia Translational Research Collaborative plans to work with a Clinical Trial Acceleration Network for dementia to increase the UK’s share of clinical trials.

Andrew Stephenson: The Dementia Translational Research Collaboration (D-TRC) is funded by the Department via the National Institute for Health & Care Research. The D-TRC plays a critical role in coordinating dementia research in early phase clinical trials in the United Kingdom and seeks to offer a wider, more collaborative and cohesive network. The D-TRC's over-arching goal is the elevation of the UK as the world-leading place to conduct early phase clinical trials in dementia.The Government will publish a full response to the Lord O’Shaughnessy independent review into commercial clinical trials in autumn 2023. The response will include an update on progress and implementation of the initial five headline commitments and foundational actions that the government made in May 2023 as well as all other recommendations in the review.

Patients: Parkinson's Disease

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding on page 4 of the report entitled Every minute counts, published by Parkinson's UK in September 2023, that 42% of patients with Parkinson's who are admitted to hospital get their medication on time every time.

Andrew Stephenson: Within secondary care, hospital providers are responsible for ensuring that patients within hospital settings, including those with Parkinson’s disease, receive the appropriate medication on time.NHS England has published a RightCare toolkit which aims to address challenges in providing services for those with progressive neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. The toolkit provides advice on medicine optimisation, highlighting the importance of timely administration of specific drugs, such as Levodopa, in acute and community health settings.

Health Impact Assessment: Trade Negotiations

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of undertaking health impact assessments for future free trade agreement negotiations.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care does not carry out specific health impact assessments for Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). Section 42 of the Agriculture Act 2020 commits the Government to produce a report which examines new FTAs in the context of their impact on domestic statutory protections in the United Kingdom, including the impact on human health. This report must be laid in Parliament as part of the scrutiny process. This process has also been applied to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Agreement.The “Section 42 report”, as it is known, is led by the Department for Business and Trade, and is drafted in consultation with other Government departments, including the Department of Health and Social Care.

Department of Health and Social Care: Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what level of consultation officials in his Department had with their counterparts in the Department for Business and Trade during the negotiation of the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP); and whether his Department has made an assessment of the implications for its policies of the findings of Public Health Wales’ report entitled The health, well-being and equity impact of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Agreement on Wales.

Andrew Stephenson: Officials across Government work closely to support the negotiation of the United Kingdom’s trade deals, including the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). While the Department has not made a specific assessment of this report, the Government has been clear that protecting the National Health Service is a fundamental principle of our trade policy. During our negotiations to accede to CPTPP our commitment to this did not change; the NHS, its services and the price it pays for medicines were never on the table. CPTPP preserves the right to regulate to protect human, animal and plant life and health. The UK will continue to uphold our high standards in all our trade agreements, including CPTPP. Decisions on these standards remain a matter for the UK and will be made separately from any trade agreements.

Brain: Tumours

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of (a) accepting the recommendations of the report by the APPG on Brain Tumours entitled Pathway to A Cure, published on 28 February 2023, and (b) providing additional funding for multidisciplinary research into brain tumours.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care welcomes the All-Party Parliamentary Group report, recommendations of which continue to be worked through with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, and UK Research and Innovation and the Medical Research Council (MRC), and with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).The Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM) recently announced two appointments to the inaugural Tessa Jowell Fellowship programme. These 12-month fellowships will support high quality training in neuro-oncology clinical practice and research, to ensure clinicians are equipped with the relevant research skills needed to lead neuro-oncology trials that change practice. Additionally, the TJBCM have designated 28 adult Tessa Jowell Centres of Excellence within the National Health Service, which has created a world-class network of brain tumour treatment and research centres to provide the best care and share best practice. These actions will help grow capacity for brain cancer research, attracting new researchers from multiple relevant disciplines and developing the community.In May 2018, the Government announced £40 million for brain tumour research as part of the TJBCM through the NIHR. The £40 million funding will remain available; if we can spend more on the best quality science, we will do.

Bipolar Disorder: Waiting Lists

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of bipolar disorder.

Maria Caulfield: The NHS Long Term Plan commits to investing £2.3 billion extra funding a year in expanding and transforming mental health services by March 2024, enabling an extra two million people, including people with bipolar disorder, to be treated by mental health services within the National Health Service.Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we are also expanding community mental health services. This includes new integrated community models for adults with severe mental illness including bipolar disorder. These new models are still in the early stages, and will take time to embed nationally, but will give at least 370,000 adults greater choice and control over their care and support them to live well in their communities by March 2024.The Department also provided an additional £500 million in 2021/22 to accelerate our expansion plans and help address waiting times for mental health services. The NHS is also working towards implementing five new waiting time standards for people requiring mental healthcare in both accident and emergency and in the community, to ensure timely access to the most appropriate, high-quality support.

Ministry of Defence

Iraq-Kuwait Conflict: Health Services

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available to veterans with Gulf conflict related illnesses.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to take steps to invest in research into Gulf conflict related illnesses in order to support veterans with such illnesses.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As a nation, we owe a great debt to our Armed Forces community, including some 53,400 UK Service personnel who were deployed to the 1990/91 Gulf War, and it is right that they are held in the highest esteem by the Government and people of the UK.It has long been accepted by the UK Government that some veterans are ill and that some of this ill-health is related to their Gulf service. The most impactful way to support Gulf War veterans with adverse health conditions is for them to present to their GP to seek appropriate treatment for their symptoms, including referral to specialist services if appropriate. In the UK, when individuals leave the Armed Forces, it is the NHS in England and the Devolved Administrations that become responsible for the provision of healthcare.There is also financial support available to veterans whose illness is due to service. For individuals that served during the 1990/1991 Gulf War, claims can be considered under the War Pension Scheme (WPS) which provides compensation for illness or injury caused as a result of service in the Armed Forces before 6 April 2005. Each case for compensation is considered on its own merits.The MOD has sponsored significant research into the possible health effects of the conflict on veterans. Contemporary medical and scientific understanding from the mid-1990s onwards has identified no distinct disease process or pathology underlying Gulf symptoms and illness.In line with the Medical Research Council (MRC) review of 2003, which recommended no further research on possible causation of Gulf illness, the MOD has no plans to institute further research into Gulf War related illnesses nor to hold an inquiry. The UK Government's strategy on research topics and studies into the health of Gulf War veterans has been informed and overseen by independent scientific experts nominated by MRC, taking account of published peer-reviewed international literature and international studies. In September 2023, the Minister for Veterans' Affairs convened a group of clinicians, leading academics, and veterans’ experts to interrogate the evidence around Gulf War illnesses and to explore options for further work. The group will meet annually to ensure that new evidence continues to be considered in the future.

Navy: Sexual Offences

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases of (a) sexual assault, (b) sexual harassment and (c) rape have resulted in court martials against alleged perpetrators in connection with reported incidents involving armed forces personnel serving at Royal Navy colleges.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases of (a) sexual assault, (b) sexual harassment and (c) rape have resulted in criminal sentences for perpetrators following reported incidents involving armed forces personnel serving at Royal Navy colleges in each of last five years.

Dr Andrew Murrison: During the last five years, the Court Martial Service dealt with less than five cases of sexual offences resulting in a court martial for an alleged perpetrator based at a Royal Navy college. There were no court martials relating to rape during the same period and no criminal sentences for any offence. Sexual harassment is not an offence under civil or military law, although there is a policy of zero tolerance to any form of unacceptable sexual behaviour in the Armed Forces. The numbers above relate only to court martials where the defendant’s unit was recorded as being the Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, the Commando Training Centre Lympstone or HMS RALEIGH, all of which undertake Phase 1 training. They do not take account of defendants who may be linked to other units.

Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what data his Department holds on the number of veterans who attended each focus group that contributed to the independent review of UK Government welfare services for veterans.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where the focus groups for the independent review of UK Government welfare services for veterans were held.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which charities submitted written responses to the independent review of UK Government welfare services for veterans.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many charities submitted written responses to the independent review of UK Government welfare services for veterans.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As part of the Independent Review of UK Veterans Welfare Services, the Review team held various focus groups with veterans and charities. These events were run online and through in-person visits accompanied by the relevant Veterans Commissioner. Groups were small to maximise engagement and due to the tight timeframes within which to set up the events. In-person events were held in Brecon, Edinburgh, Belfast, Salisbury and at the Ilford Park Polish Home in Devon. Numbers for each visit varied and ranged from between 15 to 30 people, giving a total of around 100. To maintain confidentiality, specific details of each veteran attending was not captured, and therefore the Ministry of Defence does not hold precise numbers of veterans who attended each group. Written and/or verbal input was received from 11 charities:The Confederation of Service CharitiesSSAFAThe Royal British LegionRoyal Air Force AssociationRoyal Marines AssociationHelp for HeroesBlesmaCombat StressForces In Mind TrustDefence Medical Welfare ServicesRAF Benevolent Fund

Air Force: Sexual Offences

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases of (a) sexual assault, (b) sexual harassment and (c) rape have resulted in court martials against alleged perpetrators in connection with reported incidents involving armed forces personnel serving at RAF colleges.

Dr Andrew Murrison: None of the Court Martial proceedings that concluded in 2022, for the requested offences, related to personnel serving at Royal Air Force Colleges.Sexual harassment is not an offence under civil or military law, although there is a policy of zero tolerance to any form of unacceptable sexual behaviour in the Armed Forces.

Armed Forces: Drugs

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces personnel in each of the armed services failed drugs tests in each of the last five years.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The requested information on Compulsory Drug Testing failures (positive results) is provided in the following table: YearRoyal NavyArmyRoyal Air Force201817082090201917077040202011038040202114083060202217064080 The figures provided are single Service estimates based on data which is not gathered for statistical purposes or subject to the same level of scrutiny as official statistics produced by Defence Statistics. The figures provided may therefore be subject to data quality issues affecting their accuracy.

Empty Property: Plymouth

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many properties owned by his Department in Plymouth are unoccupied as of 7 November 2023.

James Cartlidge: As of 7 November 2023, there are 97 (8.9%) unoccupied residential properties out of 1,095 Service Family Accommodation in the Plymouth area. This is due to 56 receiving routine works, two being adapted for special needs and 39 undergoing refurbishment works.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many contracts his Department has signed for (a) round one and (b) round two of the International Fund for Ukraine; and what the value is of each of these contracts.

James Cartlidge: Ten contracts, with a total value of c.£144 million, have been placed as part of Urgent Bidding Round 1 of the International Fund for Ukraine.Six contracts, with a total value of c.£73 million, have been placed as part of Urgent Bidding Round 2 of the International Fund for Ukraine.

Shipping: Plymouth

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to tackle the dumping of vessels on his Department's land at Cornwall Beach in Plymouth.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is aware of the issue with abandoned vessels on land owned by the MOD at Cornwall Beach in Plymouth.Plymouth City Council cleared the area earlier in 2023, and, with MOD agreement, are considering the installation of lockable bollards to prevent public access. MOD Officials are continuing to liaise with Plymouth City Council regarding this issue.

Armed Forces: Mental Health

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support the practice of mindfulness among (a) serving armed forces staff, (b) reservists and (c) veterans.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Defence Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022-2023 made a significant commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of all Defence Personnel. Its primary goal is to ensure that every member of the Defence community leads a healthy lifestyle in a supportive environment. Defence is dedicated to enhancing the overall health and wellbeing of our people. This includes promoting mental fitness and resilience and normalising time spent working on mental fitness, as with physical fitness, whilst embedding healthy habits. Throughout their Service, members of the Armed Forces have access to a wide range of support to ensure their mental fitness and resilience is maximised and they are given opportunities to enhance their wellbeing. To support mindfulness, members of the Armed Forces, Regular and Reserve, and veterans have access to HeadFIT For Life, a mental fitness tool to support the whole force. HeadFIT is an externally accessible website that assists Defence personnel in developing a proactive approach to mental fitness. Its aim is to establish healthy habits that will help unlock potential, achieve personal goals, and reach optimal well-being.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Ministerial Responsibility

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Minister is responsible for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As with other branches of the Armed Forces, Ministerial responsibility for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is divided by broad subject area. Ministerial portfolios are set out on the Ministry of Defence website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence

Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Recruitment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel (a) were recruited and (b) left the Royal Fleet Auxiliary service in each year since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The following two tables show the RFA Inflow and Outflow numbers between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2023 Table 1: RFA Total Inflow – 01 April 2010 to 31 March 2023 Total Inflow2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-23 150323486167217164149145131171167169 1. Financial Year covers the period from 01 April to 31 March, for example Financial Year 15/16 covers Inflow during the period 01 April 2015 to 31 March 2016.2. Figures in Financial Year 2020-21 and 2021-22 may be partly affected by COVID-19.3. Total Inflow includes data for both Trained and Untrained personnel.4. Data prior to 1 April 2015 has been provided however, this has come from a different data source and is unvalidated by Analysis (Navy). Caution is advised when comparing to data across the two difference sources.  Table 2. RFA Total Outflow, 01 April 2010 to 31 March 2023 Total Outflow2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-23 127388119164167164179164180184155251221Source: Analysis (Navy) 1. Total Outflow includes all outflow from the RFA, including Resignation Aged Under 60, Resignation Aged 60 or Over and Other Wastage (including Dismissal, Forced Early Retirement on Medical Grounds, Contract of Employment not offered, Offer of Employment Rejected, Death Whilst in Service and Transfer to the Civil Service).2. Financial Year covers the period from 01 April to 31 March, for example Financial Year 2015-16 covers Outflow during the period 01 April 2015 to 31 March 2016.3. Figures in Financial Year 2020-21 and 2021-22 may be partly affected by COVID-19.4. Figures in Financial Year 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 may be partly affected by the Voluntary Early Redundancy (VER) scheme which was in affect during this time period.5. Total Outflow includes data for both Trained and Untrained personnel.6. Data prior to 1 April 2015 has been provided however, this has come from a different data source and is unvalidated by Analysis (Navy). Caution is advised when comparing to data across the two difference sources.

Armed Forces: Reviews

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people in (a) his Department (b) each individual service are working on the implementation of the review entitled Agency and Agility: Incentivising people in a new era - a review of UK Armed Forces, published 19 June 2023.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the policy paper entitled Agency and Agility: Incentivising people in a new era - a review of UK Armed Forces incentivisation, published on 19 June 2023, whether he plans to publish an update on the implementation of that report's recommendations.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 109 of the policy paper entitled Agency and Agility: Incentivising people in a new era - a review of UK Armed Forces incentivisation, published on 19 June 2023, how many quick wins have been identified following that report.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the policy paper entitled Agency and Agility: Incentivising people in a new era - a review of UK Armed Forces incentivisation, published on 19 June 2023, what steps his Department is taking to implement recommendation 66 of that report on senior leaders' delivery of the review's recommendations.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the policy paper entitled Agency and Agility: Incentivising people in a new era - a review of UK Armed Forces incentivisation, published on 19 June 2023, what steps Strategic Command is taking to implement that report's recommendations.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 110 of the policy paper entitled Agency and Agility: Incentivising people in a new era - a review of UK Armed Forces incentivisation, published on 19 June 2023, what primary legislation changes his Department has identified.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Recommendation 24 of his Department's publication entitled Agency and agility: incentivising people in a new era, published on 19 June 2023, whether a trial of the total reward approach with an engineering cohort has begun.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The acceptance of the Haythornthwaite Report into Armed Forces Incentivisation, and the subsequent Defence Command Paper refresh in summer 2023, provided a clear mandate to drive and deliver change in how the Armed Forces recruits and retains its people.   Modernising a base-fed model designed in the 1950s is a complicated task but the Defence People function has begun a substantial work programme to support it. Much progress is already being made and the Department has been capturing and aligning that work as well as beginning several distinct programmes regarded as key priorities; either enabling projects to lay the foundations of future work or realising change in the short term. Priorities for the coming months include designing the first elements of a trial to explore a ‘Total Reward Approach’, exploring flexible terms and conditions of service through the development of a ‘Spectrum of Service’ and the optimisation of the myriad of policies and processes. A formal and more detailed Government Response, which will include proposals for the legislative approach, will be published in the New Year.

Army: Sexual Offences

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases of (a) sexual assault, (b) sexual harassment and (c) rape have been have resulted in charges against alleged perpetrators in connection with reported incidents involving armed forces personnel serving at Army colleges in the UK.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases of (a) sexual assault, (b) sexual harassment and (c) rape have resulted in court martials against alleged perpetrators in connection with reported incidents involving armed forces personnel serving at Army colleges.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases of (a) sexual assault, (b) sexual harassment and (c) rape have resulted in criminal sentences for perpetrators following reported incidents involving armed forces personnel serving at Army colleges in each of last five years.

Dr Andrew Murrison: I will write to the right hon. Member with the detail requested once it has been collated, and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Air Force: Sexual Offences

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases of (a) sexual assault, (b) sexual harassment and (c) rape have resulted in charges against alleged perpetrators following reported incidents involving Armed Forces personnel serving at RAF colleges.

Dr Andrew Murrison: During 2022, the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) dealt with fewer than five cases of sexual assault resulting in charges against an alleged perpetrator at Royal Air Force Colleges.There were no charges relating to rape during the same period.Sexual harassment is not an offence under civil or military law, although there is a policy of zero tolerance to any form of unacceptable sexual behaviour in the Armed Forces.

Navy: Sexual Offences

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases of (a) sexual assault, (b) sexual harassment and (c) rape have resulted in charges against alleged perpetrators in connection with reported incidents involving armed forces personnel serving at Royal Navy colleges.

Dr Andrew Murrison: During 2022, the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) dealt with less than five cases of sexual assault resulting in charges against an alleged perpetrator at a Royal Navy college. There were no charges relating to rape during the same period. Sexual harassment is not an offence under civil or military law, although there is a policy of zero tolerance to any form of unacceptable sexual behaviour in the Armed Forces.

Greece: Military Decorations

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of posthumously awarding a medal to UK personnel that supported Greek troops during the Greek Civil War.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence has no plans to recommend that consideration be given to retrospective medallic recognition for UK personnel who supported Greek troops during the Greek Civil War. Any consideration of this matter would in any event be for the independent Advisory Military Sub-Committee, a sub-committee of the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medal, rather than the Ministry of Defence.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Recruitment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has a recruitment strategy for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The recruitment strategy for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary forms an integral part of the overall recruitment strategy for the Royal Navy.

Army: Young People

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 15 April 2021 to Question 179358 on Army: Young People, if he will introduce new terms of service for soldiers that enlist under the age of 18.

Dr Andrew Murrison: British Army Terms of Service are routinely reviewed to ensure best practice and operational effectiveness.

Army Foundation College: Training

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of army recruits participating in the long course at the Army Foundation College left the army before completing the course in each of the last ten years.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The below table shows the number of Army recruits who have started and left the long course at the Army Foundation College by year, since 2013. Calendar YearTotal StartsTotal DischargesProportion 201352814728%201481622327%201584920824%201692721623%201787118021%201880213216%2019103129328%2020101933733%202191437941%202271722832%20237077911% These figures are single Service estimates based on management information which is not gathered for statistical purposes or subject to the same level of scrutiny as official statistics produced by Defence Statistics. The figures provided may therefore be subject to data quality issues affecting their accuracy. The figures above are reliant on the data entered into the information system at the relevant Group/School.

Army: Ethnic Groups

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many BAME officers are above the rank of Major in the Army.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve BAME representation in ranks above Major in the Army.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As set out in the published biannual diversity statistics, there are 70 people of ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) of rank Lieutenant Colonel and above in the British Army, as at 1st April 2023: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-biannual-diversity-statistics-april-2023 Diversity, inclusion and respect sit at the heart of the Army's values and ethos. The Army aims to recruit and retain a diversity of talent and thought, drawing from all sections of society. The Army Race Action Plan which was published internally in April 2023 directs a number of actions to bring equity to career progression across all ranks and including personnel from ethnic minority backgrounds. This includes improving representation at all levels, gaining better access to talent, progressing all talent based only upon merit, improving and professionalising organisational culture and improving lived experience, retention and opportunities.

Prime Minister: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 14 September 2023 to Question 197421 on Aviation: Prime Minister, which plane was used by the Prime Minister to fly from Northolt to (a) Leeds on 9 January, (b) Blackpool on 19 January, (c) Newquay on 9 February, (d) RAF Leeming on 10 February, (e) Anglesey on 23 March and (f) Aberdeen on (i) 31 July and (ii) 2 September 2023.

Dr Andrew Murrison: It has been the practice of successive Administrations not to publish (or otherwise confirm) granular information relating to the official movements of protected individuals and those accompanying them within the United Kingdom. More broadly, the Government’s position on Ministerial travel is outlined in the answer of 24 February 2023, Question 143903.Question 143903 (docx, 15.2KB)

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the contracts awarded through (a) round one and (b) round two of the International Fund for Ukraine have been awarded to UK based companies.

James Cartlidge: As part of Urgent Bidding Round One of the International Fund for Ukraine, we have placed seven contracts, worth c. £79 million, with a UK supplier or involving UK sub-contractors. This represents 55% of the total contracted value of round one.As part of Urgent Bidding Round Two of the International Fund for Ukraine, we have placed two contracts, worth £48 million, with a UK supplier or involving UK sub-contractors. This represents 65% of the total contracted value of round two.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to launch a third round for funding for the International Fund for Ukraine.

James Cartlidge: Official-level discussions on a third International Fund for Ukraine Urgent Bidding Round are underway. No decisions have yet been taken.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much and what proportion of the International Fund for Ukraine’s budget has been allocated.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Defence, on behalf of the International Fund for Ukraine, has placed 16 contracts, worth c. £217million to provide critical equipment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.An additional £140million has been approved by the International Fund for Ukraine's Executive Panel. Contract negotiations with suppliers are underway.A competition for the manufacture and supply of artillery ammunition is also underway. The potential costs of this competition are commercially sensitive and cannot be made public.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether each of the capabilities funded by (a) Round 1 and (b) Round 2 of the International Fund for Ukraine have been delivered to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

James Cartlidge: Ten contracts, funded by round 1 of the International Fund for Ukraine, have been placed for a range of capabilities, including uncrewed aerial systems, air defence radars, counter-uncrewed aerial systems, and electronic warfare systems. Two contracts have now completed. The remaining eight contracts are expected to be completed by April 2024. Six contracts, funded by round 2 of the International Fund for Ukraine have been placed for air defence capabilities. The first of these capabilities will be delivered to Ukraine this year with all deliveries expected to be completed by June 2024.

RFA Wave Knight and RFA Wave Ruler: Expenditure

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on the upkeep of (a) RFA Wave Ruler and (b) RFA Wave Knight in each year since 2019.

James Cartlidge: The cost for the safe keeping and upkeep of Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Wave Ruler and RFA Wave Knight from 2019 until 2022 were as follows: Financial YearCost2019-20£3 million2020-21£3 million2021-22£3 million2022-23£4 millionTotal£13 million  These costs include care and protection, dehumidification and continuation of mandatory maintenance to remain in class and any commercial wharfage necessary.

RFA Wave Knight and RFA Wave Ruler

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the projected out-of-service date is for (a) RFA Wave Ruler and (b) RFA Wave Knight.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the response I provided to question 188830 on 15 June 2023.RFA Wave Knight and RFA Wave Ruler (docx, 24.0KB)

Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Shipping

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels have not spent any days at sea in each year since 2010.

James Cartlidge: I wrote to the right hon. Member separately on 13 November 2023 and placed a copy of my letter in the Library of the House. RFA Days at Sea follow up letter (pdf, 100.8KB)RFA Days at Sea annex A to follow up letter (pdf, 109.5KB)

Space

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the implementation of the Government’s Space Strategy.

James Cartlidge: The National Space Council met on 19 July 2023, co-chaired by the Secretaries of State for Science, Innovations and Technology and Defence. The Council is responsible for leading the coordination across government on space policy and ensuring that the UK is well-positioned to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the space sector to drive job creation and grow the economy. The Council will continue to meet to deliver these priorities under National Space Strategy.

Challenger Tanks: Age

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average age of a Challenger II tank is.

James Cartlidge: The Field Army have calculated that the average age of the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank is 23 years and 10 months old.

HMS St Albans: Repairs and Maintenance

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for how long HMS St Albans has been in refit; and what recent estimate he has made of how much longer HMS St Alban will remain in refit.

James Cartlidge: HMS St Albans has been in refit for four and a half years, and I am unable to disclose an estimate for when this will conclude. It is departmental policy not to disclose the readiness state of individual ships as this could prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Nuclear Submarines: Decommissioning

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to (a) the Answer of 11 September 2023 to Question 195698 on Nuclear Submarines: Decommissioning and (b) the NAO report entitled Investigation into submarine defueling and dismantling, published on 3 April 2019, for what reasons the Submarine Dismantling Project’s original target date for completing the dismantling work on Swiftsure differ in those documents.

James Cartlidge: The Department confirmed to the Public Accounts Committee on 1 May 2019 that the estimated completion date to fully dismantle the demonstrator submarine, Swiftsure, is 2026.The programme remains on schedule to meet this commitment.

Warships: Defence Equipment

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to replace the SA-80 as the main weapon for guard duty on gangways on board Royal Navy warships.

James Cartlidge: The Army, as lead command for small arms and light weapons, is conducting several projects to deliver new and/or enhanced personal and other weapon systems across Defence, including the replacement of the legacy SA80 Individual Weapon for front line troops. This includes use as the main weapon for guard duty on gangways on board Royal Navy ships.

Prime Minister: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 14 September 2023 to Question 197421 on Aviation: Prime Minister, which taskings were completed on G-ZAHS in addition to flying the Prime Minister from Northolt to Inverness on 13 January and to Manchester on 3 April 2023.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The RAF Command Support Aircraft Fleet primarily provides travel for the command functions of the Ministry of Defence. Utilising irreducible spare capacity, provision is also made for senior Ministers and members of the Royal Household to travel in fulfilment of their official duties.

Sloane Helicopters: Clacton-on-Sea

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 12 September to Question 197420, which contract covered the provision of rotary wing command air transport by Sloane Helicopters for the Prime Minister’s visit to Clacton-on-Sea on 18 October 2023.

Dr Andrew Murrison: This provision was under the Command Support Air Transport contract.

Armed Forces: Labour Turnover

Sarah Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many male service personnel (a) joined and (b) left the (i) army, (ii) navy, (iii) air force and (iv) marines since September 2022.

Sarah Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many female service personnel (a) joined and (b) left the (i) army, (ii) navy, (iii) air force and (iv) marines since September 2022.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The requested information is published in the UK Armed Forces Biannual Diversity Statistics, available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-biannual-diversity-statistics-april-2023/uk-armed-forces-biannual-diversity-statistics-april-2023

Afghanistan: Refugees

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many refugee claims under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are awaiting a decision as of 7 November 2023.

James Heappey: As of 10 November 2023, we have approximately 2,000 ARAP applicants awaiting a decision, including those applications we continue to receive each week.Overall, we have received over 95,000 unique applications to the scheme. We are diligently combing through our records, searching for every eligible applicant and will leave no stone unturned to find all ARAP eligible Afghans.

Department for Education

Supply Teachers

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much was spent on supply teachers in each (a) region, (b) local authority and (c) parliamentary constituency in the 2021-22 academic year.

Robert Halfon: A key principle behind the Government's plan for education is to give teachers and school leaders the freedom to use their professional judgement to decide the structure of their schools’ workforce that best meets the needs of their pupils. Financial information on Local Authority maintained schools, including spending on supply teachers, is collected in Consistent Financial Reporting returns. The information is published on the School Financial Benchmarking website and in the annual official statistic ‘LA and school expenditure’, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure. The spend on these categories for Local Authority maintained schools in each region for the 2021/22 financial year is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/22a37aed-9bf8-489a-4884-08dbdfb23d99. The spend on these categories for Local Authority maintained schools in each Local Authority for the 2021/22 financial year is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/beb72a02-b53a-41b2-4883-08dbdfb23d99. Information relating to individual schools is published on the School Financial Benchmarking website, available at: https://schools-financial-benchmarking.service.gov.uk/Help/DataSources. School level information published on the Schools Financial Benchmarking website has been linked to information from the Get Information About Schools website to provide the attached constituency level information. This includes supply teaching staff, supply teacher insurance and agency supply staff expenditure, plus net expenditure which is expenditure offset against income on supply teacher insurance claims. Information on the expenditure by academies is not published on the same basis as Local Authority maintained schools. Academy level data on expenditure is available on the Schools Financial website. Information at regional and Local Authority level is not published.

Secondary Education: Mid Bedfordshire

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average staff-to-student ratio was in secondary schools (a) nationally and (b) in Mid Bedfordshire constituency in each year since 2019.

Robert Halfon: Information on the school workforce, including the pupil to adult and pupil to teacher ratios at national, regional, Local Authority and individual school level, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.As at November 2022, the latest data available, there were over 468,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England, an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes the highest number of FTE teachers since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.The table below provides the pupil to adult ratio and the pupil to teacher ratio for state funded secondary schools in Mid Bedfordshire constituency and England for academic years 2019/20 to 2022/23.Pupil to adult and pupil to teacher ratios for state funded secondary schools in Mid Bedfordshire constituency and England, by year2019/20 and 2022/231 Mid Bedfordshire constituency2England Pupil to adult ratio3, 5Pupil to teacher ratio4, 5Pupil to adult ratio3, 5Pupil to teacher ratio4, 52019/2012.818.111.916.62020/21212.319.111.916.62021/2212.618.211.916.72022/2312.318.012.016.8  Source: School Workforce Census.1. Workforce data as at November and pupil data as at the following January. For instance, 2019/20 relates to November 2019 workforce and January 2020 pupils.2. There are 14 secondary schools in Mid Bedfordshire constituency. One school is removed from the ratio calculations each year due to the low reliability of reported figures, and a second school is not included for 2020/21 as they did not return data that year.3. Pupil to adult ratio includes teachers and support staff (excluding administrative and auxiliary staff).4. Pupil to teacher ratio includes all teachers.5. The ratios are calculated using pupil numbers taken from the publication, ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics.

Schools: Buildings

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department's survey of the school estate for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) seeks to identify other potential construction risks; and how her Department prioritises the requirements posed by multiple construction risks in schools.

Robert Halfon: It is the responsibility of those who run schools - academy trusts, Local Authorities and voluntary aided school bodies - to manage the safety and maintenance of their schools and to alert the Department if there is a serious concern with a building. It has always been the case that where the Department is made aware a building may pose an immediate risk, immediate action is taken.The RAAC survey is a stand-alone and specific survey to address the presence of RAAC construction.From early 2017, the Condition Data Collection (CDC) programme undertook to visit every Government maintained nursery and school in England to collect data about the physical condition of school buildings and how they are managed. The Condition Data Collection (CDC) programme was the first ever comprehensive survey of the school estate. Previous administrations took no action to understand the condition of the school estate. Running from 2017 to 2019, the survey allowed the Department to understand the condition of the school estate over time and informed capital funding and programmes by providing information on the condition of all 22,000 government funded school buildings and 260 further education colleges in England.The second iteration of the CDC programme is currently underway and is programmed to conclude in 2026.

Local Skills Improvement Plans

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish results from Local Skills Improvement Plans Phase 2 bids.

Robert Halfon: More than £200 million skills funding investment was announced on Friday 10 November. This includes £165 million for the local skills improvement fund (LSIF) to enable further education colleges and other providers to develop the new facilities and provision in key industries needed to respond to the skills priorities identified by local businesses and employers in the newly published local skills improvement plans. These plans were developed and published by local employer representative bodies in August 2023. The LSIF projects will play a key part in giving employers access to the skilled workforce that they need to grow.The department is funding the employer representative bodies up to £550,000 for the development and delivery of each plan for the period between September 2022 and March 2025. The only exception is Greater London where double the amount of funding is available reflecting the overall size of the area. More information about the allocations of LSIF funding is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-skills-improvement-fund-lsif-lead-providers-2023-to-2025.The recent announcement also includes the £44 million skills injection fund. This is focused on growing high-quality level 4 and 5 Higher Technical Education, with a focus on Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQ). This funding will support colleges and other providers to address barriers to delivering HTQs. It can be used on facilities and equipment, upskilling teaching and technical staff, developing local employer partnerships, and supporting curriculum planning and development. More information about the fund and the successful list of applications is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-technical-education-skills-injection-fund-2.

Schools: Antisemitism

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools reported anti-Semitic incidents in each year since 2013.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many further education colleges reported anti-Semitic incidents in each year since 2013.

Robert Halfon: The UK unequivocally condemns the recent terrorist attacks by Hamas and stands in solidarity with Israel in its hour of need. Antisemitism has no place in our society.The Department does not hold this information. Whilst the Department strongly encourages schools and colleges to record and report all kinds of bullying, there is not a legal requirement for schools and colleges to record and report incidents of bullying.The Department has published guidance to support schools and colleges to monitor bullying incidents and evaluate the effectiveness of their approaches, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-tackling-bullying. The Government is committed to ensuring that all schools and colleges prepare children for life in modern Britain. Every school and college should actively promote the shared values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect, and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs.The Prime Minister has announced that £3 million of extra funding will be provided to the Community Security Trust to protect schools, colleges, nurseries and synagogues and other Jewish community buildings.The Secretary of State and Ministers visited a Jewish school to show their support and wrote to school and college headteachers on 17 October to remind them of their relevant responsibilities, including the need to challenge intolerance and actively respond to discrimination, as well as outlining their duties under the Prevent programme. The Department’s Educate Against Hate website provides a range of resources and support to challenge discrimination and intolerance, and how to respond where you have concerns. This is available at: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/.

Special Educational Needs: Hertfordshire

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Area SEND inspection of Hertfordshire Local Area Partnership report, published on 10 November 2023, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of appointing a Children’s Services Commissioner to assist Hertfordshire County Council with their statutory responsibilities to SEND children and their families.

David Johnston: ​​Every child and young person with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) should have access to high-quality services. Where a council does not meet their requirements to provide appropriate support for these children, the department will act quickly to bring about rapid improvement.​​On 10 November 2023, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) published their joint local area SEND inspection report of Hertfordshire. Inspectors highlighted two areas of priority action and five areas for improvement.​The local area partnership is required to submit a detailed priority action plan to Ofsted and the CQC by 19 December 2023, within 35 days of receiving the final report. To ensure independent and expert oversight of delivery of this plan, the partnership has appointed Dame Christine Lenehan as the new chair of the partnership’s multi-agency improvement board.

Adult Education: Wellingborough

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many adult learners there were in the Wellingborough constituency in each academic year since 2010-11.

Robert Halfon: Adult (19+) further education and skills learner participation in the Wellingborough parliamentary constituency can be found via the following links:2017/18 onwards:https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/22922154-4afb-48fe-835e-71ceac3bab3b. 2014/15 to 2016/17:https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F5ddc60b8e5274a7939e525d9%2FFE_and_Skills_Part_and_Achieve_Final_201819.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK 2010/11 to 2013/14:https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.publishing.service.gov.uk%2Fmedia%2F5bb5e19a40f0b64a4e9c71fb%2Ffeandskills-participation-by-geography-learner-demographics.xls&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK.

Higher Education: Sudan

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps to provide additional funding to universities to help support international students from Sudan whose families have been displaced by the war in that country.

Robert Halfon: The government appreciates the difficult circumstances that students from Sudan may currently be facing.Students experiencing financial difficulties should contact their university to discuss their circumstances. Higher education (HE) providers have their own hardship funds to support students who have financial issues and, like domestic students, international students can apply to their provider to access these funds. HE providers also offer a range of dedicated support to their international students pre-arrival, on-arrival and during their studies.In addition, the UK Council for International Student Affairs offers a range of information and guidance for international students who may be experiencing unexpected financial hardship, which can be found here: https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/Information--Advice/Fees-and-Money/Unexpected-financial-hardship.

Science and Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on developing a science and technology skills dashboard.

Robert Halfon: The Department’s Unit for Future Skills (UFS) is working to improve the quality of jobs and skills data, which will support a better understanding of current skill mismatches and future demand across key sectors, including those related to science and technology. More information on the UFS is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/unit-for-future-skills.As part of cross-government work to cement the UK’s status as a science and technology superpower by 2030, the UFS is developing a Department for Education Skills Dashboard to understand the supply and demand of science and technology skills. More information on cross-government work is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-science-and-technology-framework/the-uk-science-and-technology-framework.This dashboard will be publicly available by the end of 2023.

District Heating: Training

Jane Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that training centres have the (a) resources and (b) developed curriculum to train heat network installers.

Robert Halfon: In the 2021 Heat and Buildings Strategy, the government committed to a range of policies enabling a zero-carbon heating system in the UK. In the strategy, the government committed to investing £338 million into the Heat Network Transformation Programme over 2022/23 to 2024/25.The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy’s 2020 Heat Network Skills Review found, among other things that:Skills challenges in the energy and engineering sectors were a barrier to the uptake of heat networks.The heat networks sector lacks data to support workforce planning.Occupations particularly in demand include project delivery managers, heat network development managers, and control system specialists.Heat network training is often informal and completed on-the-job as continuing professional development. There are some private organisations that deliver specific training on heat networks. Earlier this year, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero ran the Heat Training Grant competition for education providers in England. This funding facilitates the ability to provide training on the designing, building, and maintenance of heat networks. A further round of the scheme will run for training to be delivered in academic year 2024/25.There are existing courses funded by the department for education that provide the skills needed to build and operate heat networks. These are highlighted in the list below:The building services engineering craftsperson level 3 apprenticeship provides learners with the experience and training necessary to install large-scale heating systems in buildings like factories and hospitals, including those powered by sustainable energy.Skills Bootcamps have been delivered on a range of green heating technologies. The courses are open to adults aged 19 and over and are designed with employers to meet short to medium-term skill shortages and to boost productivity.The Building Services Engineering for Construction T Level supports learners to progress to a job as a heating & ventilation engineer, which can include low carbon technologies like heat networks.The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education is currently developing an occupational standard for an apprenticeship at level 3, entitled district heat network maintenance technician.The network of 21 Institutes of Technology (IoTs) is committed to supporting the government’s targets for sustainability and net zero. With access to £300 million of capital funding to develop industry-standard facilities and equipment, IoTs are delivering higher level technical provision in key STEM subjects, such as net zero carbon energy production.The department has launched the Local Skills Improvement Fund to implement the training facilities needed to meet the workforce needs set out in an area’s Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP). £80 million of capital and revenue funding is in the process of being awarded, and a further £85 million of capital funding will be made available in 2024/25. This funding can be used for the equipment needed to deliver training on heat networks if that is designated as a local workforce need in an area’s LSIP.

Logistics: Training

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support pathways are available in (a) schools and (b) other educational establishments for students who wish to enter the warehousing sector.

Robert Halfon: The department’s skills reforms in England provide a ladder of opportunity that enables young people and adults to get good jobs and progress in their careers. The department is building a skills system that is employer focused, high quality and fit for the future, and is flexible enough to lead to more people completing high quality courses that meet employers’ needs in all sectors. This ambitious skills agenda is backed by £3.8 billion of investment over this Parliament. The department is using this to expand and strengthen higher and further education (FE), ensuring skills training is aligned to the needs of employers to enable communities to thrive. With this investment, the department is putting employers at the heart of the skills system, which is why the department is working with industry to shape our training offers, creating more routes into skilled employment in key economic sectors. The department’s high quality apprenticeships support individuals of all ages in earning and learning the skills needed to start or advance a career in the warehousing sector. Through the Apprenticeships Support and Knowledge programme, the department actively promotes these opportunities in schools and FE colleges by providing a free, bespoke package of information and support to students about apprenticeships. Furthermore, the department has the funding rate for the Level 2 Supply Chain Warehouse Operative has recently increased from £3,000 to £5,000, supporting training providers to deliver high quality apprenticeships in the sector. The Free Courses for Jobs offer, which was launched in April 2021, gives eligible adults the chance to access high value Level 3 qualification for free, which can support them to gain higher wages or a better job. This offer includes a qualification in warehousing and storage and allows eligible learners to access a high-value Level 3 qualification for free, to gain higher wages and access new job opportunities. Skills bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, with an offer of a job interview with an employer on completion. To help address the shortage of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers across the country, skills bootcamps in HGV driving provide more opportunities for people to train as drivers, gain their licences and launch new careers in the sector. The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) is supporting schools and colleges to embed best practice in the delivery of careers information, advice, and guidance, so that young people are aware of the full range of training and careers available to them and have access to a broad range of employers and workplaces, including those in the warehousing sector. For example, CEC partner with industries and sector bodies to support them in developing their talent and skills pipeline by providing them with a clear means for them to engage with schools and colleges. The National Careers Service (NCS) provides free, up to date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers, skills and the Labour Market in England to all people aged 13+. In particular, those aged 13-18 can access information and advice through the NCS website, including through webchat and the telephone helpline which is supported by local community-based career advisers. The NCS website gives customers access to a range of digital tools and resources to support them. This includes ‘Explore Careers’ which provides information on a broad range of industry sectors and more than 800 job profiles. Job profiles include information regarding entry routes, skills and knowledge requirements, key tasks, and potential progression routes for each respective role. Regarding the warehousing sector, there are currently job profiles for roles such as order picker, warehouse worker, and warehouse manager. The content team regularly researches and updates content and welcomes updates from industry to ensure content is accurate and up to date.

Students: Loans

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to take steps to adjust maintenance fees for students in line with inflation.

Robert Halfon: We have frozen maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years to deliver better value for students and to keep the cost of higher education (HE) under control. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years.The government is considering options for maximum loans and grants for living and other costs for the 2024/25 academic year and will be making an announcement in due course.Decisions on student finance have been taken alongside other spending priorities to ensure the system remains financially sustainable and the costs of HE is shared fairly between students and taxpayers, not all of whom have benefited from going to university.The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year and that are impacting students. For the 2023/24 academic year we have made £276 million of student premium and mental health funding available to support successful outcomes for students including disadvantaged students. This funding will complement the help universities are providing through their own bursary, scholarship and hardship support schemes.

Skills Bootcamps

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Skills Bootcamp Starts there have been between April 2022 and March 2023, by subject.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people aged (a) 19-24, (b) 25-34, (c) 35-44, (d) 45-54, (e) 55-64 and (f) 65 and above started a Skills Bootcamp between April 2022 and March 2023.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many skills bootcamp starts there were in (a) the East Midlands, (b) the East of England, (c) London, (d) the North East, (e) the North West, (f) the South East, (g) the South West, (h) the West Midlands and (i) Yorkshire and the Humber between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.

Robert Halfon: On 9 November 2023, the Department published the number of Skills Bootcamps starts for the 2022/23 financial year, based on data returned by Skills Bootcamps providers. This data is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/skills-bootcamps-starts/2022-23#releaseHeadlines-summary. This data release only covers the number of Skills Bootcamps starts. Further breakdowns by course subject, age and region will be provided in the evaluation report, which will be published next year. A further release will be published later next year covering completions and outcomes data for this cohort.

Skills Bootcamps

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of Skills Bootcamp training providers hit (a) the target of (i) 100% completion with guaranteed interviews and (ii) 75% of learners receiving positive outcomes and (b) both targets.

Robert Halfon: The department does not currently provide a breakdown of data by provider. The department is committed to publishing data about programme performance when it becomes available and has published Skills Bootcamps starts for the 2022/23 financial year, which showed that targets were exceeded.

Family Hubs

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new family hubs were created in each region in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

David Johnston: The department is collecting data on the number of family hub sites within local authorities funded by the government through the Family Hubs Transformation Fund 1 and the Family Hubs & Start for Life Programme and will publish a full list of family hub sites that are open in local authorities on the two programmes in due course.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Artificial Intelligence

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by UK businesses; and whether she plans to take steps to monitor the potential impact of AI use by businesses on the number of jobs created in each of the next five years.

Saqib Bhatti: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology draws on regularly updated evidence from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS run the regular Business and Insights Conditions Survey (BICS) survey, which is refreshed every two weeks and now contains questions on AI uptake in UK businesses. The ONS estimated that in September 2023, only 16% of UK businesses were using AI, with 19% planning to adopt solutions in the future (ONS, BICS survey). A separate global study by KPMG finds a similar level of uptake in the use of AI in business settings of 20% in the UK (KMPG, Trust in Artificial Intelligence 2023). Our understanding of AI diffusion in the economy can also be informed by consumer use, which is reported at much higher levels. 50% of adults reported to the ONS that they used AI in their day-to-day life (ONS, OPN survey). It is possible that while businesses do not report formal use of AI, workers in these companies use tools such as ChatGPT or other Large Language Models for daily work tasks. On the potential impact of AI use by businesses on the number of jobs created, in each of the next five years, AI has the potential to be a net creator of jobs and have a positive impact on economic growth - the World Economic Forum concluded in October 2020 that while AI may take away 85 million jobs globally by 2025, it is also likely to generate97 million new jobs in areas such as data, machine learning and digital marketing. DSIT will continue to monitor the take-up of AI in businesses and the impact this has on job creation closely.

Question

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help develop skills and knowledge to support research and innovation.

Andrew Griffith: The Government is committed to ensuring the UK has talent that supports research and innovation and drives growth.We are investing millions in our brightest researchers through scholarships, PhD placements and fellowships in technologies like AI and Quantum.With the Department of Education, we have launched Skills Bootcamps for digital, cyber, green, and technical skills.

Question

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help attract overseas researchers, academics and innovators to the UK.

Andrew Griffith: We are promoting the UK as a key destination for top science and technology talent through the GREAT Talent campaign and the Global Talent Network.Our generous and points-based immigration offer makes it easy and fast for talented researchers and innovators to come to the UK.We have launched a number of attractive visa routes, such as the Global Talent visa, which has seen a 76% rise in visas issued in the year ending June 2023.

Question

Peter Aldous: o ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to encourage investment into research and development in the East of England.

Andrew Griffith: World-leading, globally connected innovation clusters will create more jobs, productivity and growth, and boost private sector investment. That is why, alongside £790 million investment in R&D by UK Research and Innovation in the East of England in 2020-21, we are supporting key clusters of R&D excellence such as Freeport East to become hotbeds of innovation.

Social Media: Children

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the impact of social media usage on the mental health of people under the age of 18.

Saqib Bhatti: My officials meet regularly with officials from the Department for Health and Social Care to discuss online safety and children’s mental health.

Artificial Intelligence

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for its policies on artificial intelligence of the draft International Guiding Principles for organisations developing advanced AI systems.

Saqib Bhatti: As stated in the October 30 G7 Leaders’ Statement on the Hiroshima AI Process, the UK welcomes the development of the International Guiding Principles for Organisations Developing Advanced AI systems. These Principles will help maximise the innovative opportunities and transformative potential of AI, whilst helping to keep citizens safe from risks. They will be subject to further stakeholder consultation that will be developed alongside Japan, the current G7 and Hiroshima AI Process chair. We will further reflect on the Guiding Principles in the continued development of our AI policy. We recognise the value of the Principles as Governments continue to develop their own domestic approaches to AI, including the UK with our own pro-innovation, risk-based approach

Artificial Intelligence

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if her Department will take steps to launch a stakeholder consultation on the Hiroshima Process International Guiding Principles for organisations developing advanced AI systems.

Saqib Bhatti: As part of our broader commitment to work closely with our international partners to ensure the development of safe AI, the UK has been an active participant in the G7 Hiroshima AI Process. Throughout the negotiation of the International Guiding Principles and related International Code of Conduct for Organisations Developing Advanced AI Systems, we maintained a focus on maximising the transformative potential of AI and managing the risks for individuals and society, building from the strengths of our pro-innovation, risk-based domestic approach. We have also ensured that the Hiroshima AI Process complements and can build on the important progress made during our own AI Safety Summit, which had a more focused ambition on frontier AI safety. We recognise that stakeholder consultation is an important next step in ensuring that both Hiroshima AI Process outputs can effectively shape organisations’ behaviours. Alongside our G7 partners, the UK will take steps to support further stakeholder consultation to ensure that relevant organisations have the chance to contribute to the process. We continue to work closely with Japan, the current G7 and Hiroshima AI Process Chair, to shape the ongoing workplan.

Artificial Intelligence: Offences against Children

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the Government had discussions on the threats posed by AI-generated child sexual abuse material at the AI Safety Summit of 1 and 2 November 2023.

Saqib Bhatti: The UK believes that the global risks posed by frontier AI are increasingly urgent, including risks to online safety. That is why the summit programme included a roundtable discussion on risks from the integration of frontier AI into society.The Government has already passed legislation to protect children online. The world-leading Online Safety Act contains robust duties for companies to address AI-generated CSEA material. All services will be required to proactively tackle that content, preventing users from encountering it, and removing it immediately if it does appear.Additionally, existing criminal law, such as the Protection of Children’s Act 1978 captures and criminalises a wide range of behaviours which extend to AI-generated CSEA material.

Semiconductors: Supply Chains

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to (a) prevent, (b) prepare for and (c) respond to disruption of the supply chain of semiconductors.

Saqib Bhatti: The National Semiconductor Strategy sets out the government’s approach to growing our domestic semiconductor sector, safeguarding the UK against supply chain disruption and protecting our national security. The government recognises that the issues facing the global semiconductor sector cannot be solved by any one country alone. We have committed to work closely with our international partners, both multilaterally and bilaterally, to encourage greater transparency in the global semiconductor supply chain, improve supply chain resilience, and establish areas of collaboration for mutual advantage. In delivering this vision, the government has already announced ambitious international partnership agreements with the US and Japan in 2023. These agreements enhance our collaboration on supply chain resilience, as well as enabling our world class researchers to collaborate on cutting edge semiconductor technologies and supporting our companies to develop new business relationships. We are also working with other governments and industry in the OECD “Informal Exchange Network on semiconductors”, to multilateralise efforts to understand and improve semiconductor supply chain resilience.

Question

Greg Smith: o ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of mobile connectivity in rural areas.

Sir John Whittingdale: Almost 93% of the UK benefits from good quality 4G coverage from at least one mobile network operator, but we know more needs to be done in rural areas. Our £1bn Shared Rural Network agreement with industry, will increase coverage to 95% by the end of 2025, supporting rural businesses and communities. Ofcom is also looking at the accuracy of coverage reporting to ensure it better reflects people’s experiences over coverage.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Incentives

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the value was of non-cash vouchers awarded to staff working for her core Department as performance-related bonuses in 2022-23.

Andrew Griffith: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) came into being on 3rd May 2023 when the relevant Transfer of Functions Order came into force, and consequently no vouchers could be awarded in 2022-23.

Broadband: Lewisham East

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent steps she has taken to improve access to (a) ultrafast full fibre and (b) superfast fibre to the cabinet broadband in Lewisham East constituency.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit connectivity as soon as possible. By 2025, the Government is targeting a minimum of 85% gigabit-capable coverage. As per Ofcom’s “Connected Nations” data from May 2023, Lewisham East had 84% gigabit-capable coverage and 99% superfast coverage, as compared to the national average of 74% and 97%, respectively We have introduced several pro-competition policies to encourage the market to connect urban areas such as Lewisham East. For example, we are removing barriers to rollout and working with Ofcom to promote competition and investment. As a result, there is now a thriving market of over 100 providers investing c.£40 billion rolling out gigabit broadband all over the UK. This approach is the fastest and best value for the taxpayer as it allows us to focus government funding on the areas that would not otherwise be connected. In order to further improve connectivity in constituencies like Lewisham East, we have published the Digital Connectivity Portal - extensive guidance to help local authorities facilitate broadband deployment. This includes technical information on the application of telecoms legislation, as well as practical examples of best practice (such as the Street Works Toolkit for working in the country’s highways, and wayleave templates for telecoms operators to gain access to public sector land). The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology officials regularly facilitate meetings and workshops between local government and the broadband industry, to build relationships that foster more frictionless deployment. The four sub-regional partnerships across London have been vital in coordinating this work.

4G: Rural Areas

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has considered the potential merits of increasing mobile network sharing in rural 4G partial Not-Spots to help increase emergency call coverage.

Sir John Whittingdale: People living in rural 4G partial not-spots are already able to make emergency calls, as the Code of Practice for the Public Emergency Call Service requires that any call from a mobile phone is able to roam onto another mobile network free-of-charge to make an emergency call if they have no signal from their own provider. In addition, through our £1 billion Shared Rural Network deal with the four mobile network operators, we will also be delivering new masts in total not-spot areas which will deliver 4G coverage for the first time. This will improve the safety of those living, working and visiting the area by enabling calls to 999 to be made through the mobile network for the first time as well as through the fixed telephone network.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Answer of 26 October 2023 to Question 204064 on Broadband: Rural Areas, whether her Department plans to provide support to people who are ineligible for the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme because they are in plan to have superfast broadband installed but do not have a timescale for this process.

Sir John Whittingdale: Eligibility for the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme is dependent on premises meeting the relevant criteria, such as not being included in any suppliers’ commercial rollout plans for a gigabit-capable connection, nor in any other government-funded contract - planned or in place - to improve the network. Eligibility for the voucher scheme is also dependent on the premises’ rurality status and only being able to access speeds less than 100Mbps. Therefore, commercial plans to provide superfast speeds (>=30Mbps) would not result in ineligibility for the scheme, assuming the premises met the wider requirements. Although premises that are included in suppliers’ plans to receive a gigabit-capable connection are ineligible for vouchers, we still keep commercial plans under review. If these plans change, we will explore whether the premises can be connected through Project Gigabit.

Mobile Phones: Rural Areas

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to improve mobile coverage in rural areas.

Sir John Whittingdale: In March 2020, we agreed a deal with the UK’s mobile network operators to deliver the Shared Rural Network programme. This agreement will see the government and industry jointly invest over £1 billion to extend 4G mobile coverage to 95% of UK landmass by the end of 2025. The programme is already delivering coverage improvements across the UK. 4G geographic coverage is approaching 93%, which is up from 91% when the Shared Rural Network agreement was signed.In April 2023 we published the UK Wireless Infrastructure Strategy which set a new ambition of nationwide coverage of higher quality standalone 5G to all populated areas by 2030. It also emphasised our unwavering commitment to extending 4G coverage to 95% of the UK’s landmass and set out a 10-point plan to support rural connectivity, including the appointment of a Government Rural Connectivity Champion. Simon Fell MP was appointed to the role in June.

Home Office

Visas: Skilled Workers

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of raising the skilled worker visa salary threshold for barristers and judges to £38,000 per annum.

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of raising the skilled worker visa salary threshold for solicitors to £38,000 per annum.

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of raising the skilled worker visa salary threshold for chartered and certified accountants to £38,000 per annum.

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of raising the skilled worker visa salary threshold for business and related research professionals to £38,000 per annum.

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of raising the skilled worker visa salary threshold for architects to £38,000 per annum.

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of raising the skilled worker visa salary threshold for (a) town planning officers, (b) quantity surveyors, (c) chartered architectural technologists and (d) chartered surveyors to £38,000 per annum.

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of raising the skilled worker visa salary threshold for (a) laboratory technicians, (b) electrical and electronics technicians and (c) engineering technicians to £38,000 per annum.

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of raising the skilled worker visa salary threshold for estimators, valuers and assessors to £38,000 per annum.

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of raising the skilled worker visa salary threshold for (a) insurance underwriters and (b) finance and investment analysts and advisers to £38,000 per annum.

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of raising the skilled worker visa salary threshold for all professions to £38,000 per annum.

Robert Jenrick: Full information on the ‘going rates’ for eligible occupation is published on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-going-rates-for-eligible-occupations.

Visas: Gaza

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to help support British citizens fleeing the conflict in Gaza to obtain visas for family members to travel with them to the UK.

Robert Jenrick: The UK Government is monitoring the situation in Israel and Gaza closely to ensure that it is able to respond appropriately. Flights were initially facilitated to help British citizens wanting to leave Israel.British citizens and their foreign national dependants (spouse, unmarried/civil partner, child under 18), may come to the UK provided they have valid travel documents and existing permission to enter or remain in the UK; or are non-visa nationals.Individuals who do not meet these criteria should apply for a visa to enable them to enter the UK in the normal way.UKVI is working closely with the FCDO in supporting family members of British nationals evacuated from Gaza who require a visa, signposting the necessary steps and expediting appointments at the Visa Application Centre.

Refugees: Palestinians

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is taking steps to help ensure there are effective routes for refugee family reunion in the UK for Palestinian refugees seeking to join family members in the UK.

Robert Jenrick: The Government’s refugee family reunion policy provides a safe and legal route to bring families together. This route allows for family reunion applications from recognised refugees who have protection status in the UK. The UK has a proud history of supporting refugees. Since 2015, we have offered a safe and legal route to over half a million people seeking safety in the UK. The UK continues to welcome refugees through our existing resettlement schemes which include the global UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship, the Mandate Resettlement Scheme and the family reunion route.

Asylum: Housing

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer 20 September 2023 to Question 199155 on Asylum: Housing, what the agreed contractual margins are above which Asylum Accommodation Support Contracts contractors should pay all profits back to the Home Office.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer 20 September 2023 to Question 199155 on Asylum: Housing, how much funding has been returned to her Department by Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contractors because their profits exceeded the agreed contractual margin in each year since 2019.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the amount Clearsprings Ready Homes Limited will repay to her Department for exceeding the agreed contractual profit margin for Asylum Accommodation and Support Services in the 2022-23 financial year.

Robert Jenrick: It is not appropriate to comment on commercial arrangements with suppliers. All Home Office commercial contracts are designed to ensure best value for taxpayer. The Home Office closely monitors its contractors' performance, including financial results.

Immigration: Families

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many family reunion cases have been expedited to decision makers in the last year; and what was the average time for decision making after being expedited.

Robert Jenrick: We prioritise all applications where the application has been made by an unaccompanied child, under the age of 18. We will also prioritise applications where there is an evidenced urgent or compelling reason.

Immigration: Russia

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs against travel to Russia would qualify as an insurmountable obstacle as set out in Ex.2 of the Immigration Rules Appendix FM: family members, published on 25 February 2016.

Robert Jenrick: The application of Section Ex. is fact sensitive, and consideration is on a case-by-case basis, considering a range of factors including, but not limited to, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advice.

Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner: Recruitment

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the contract notice for the provision of a competence assessment and moderation process for the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner, published by her Department on 5 October 2023, when that Office plans to finalise the question papers for candidates to become (a) Level 1, (b) Level 2 and (c) Level 3 immigration advisers.

Robert Jenrick: The planned assessment dates up until December 2024 are published on its website: OISC Online competence assessments: dates - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Police: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase the visibility of police in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Chris Philp: Improving visibility of policing in a targeted way should be a priority for all forces. That is why the previous Home Secretary and I wrote to all Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners in August 2023, asking them to set out their plans to increase visibility and confidence in local policing and share the results of this by March 2024.The Metropolitan Police benefits from the highest per capita funding in England and Wales and, as of March 31 2023, had over 35,000 officers. This was higher than the pre- Police Uplift Programme peak in the Metropolitan Police Service of 33,820 officers in March 2010. As of the 31 March 2023, at the end of the Police Uplift Programme, the Metropolitan Police Service fell 1,089 officers short of its uplift allocation of 4,557 officers. The Mayor of London is responsible for setting policing priorities for the Metropolitan Police area and for holding the Commissioner to account for their running of the force, ensuring the public receives the high-quality policing they are entitled to expect.Policing is operationally independent of government and decisions about the deployment and activities of officers, including in neighbourhood policing roles, are for operationally independent Chief Constables, or in the case of London, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan police. They are best placed to use their local knowledge and experience to best serve the public interest.

Visas: Married People

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of raising the minimum combined income threshold for a family visa for a spouse to £26,200.

Robert Jenrick: The Minimum Income Requirement (MIR) was implemented in July 2012, reflecting the income at which a British family could no longer access income-related benefits at the time. We keep all our immigration routes under constant review.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to publish further guidance on family reunification for Afghan people resettled under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme pathway 1.

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to give Afghan people on pathway 1 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (a) refugee and (b) humanitarian protection status for family reunion purposes.

Robert Jenrick: The government remains committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan. However, the situation is complex and presents significant challenges, including how those who are eligible for resettlement in the UK can leave the country. This includes eligible immediate family members of those being resettled under the ACRS.Individuals resettled under Pathway 2 of the ACRS will be granted refugee status in the UK and will be eligible to sponsor their immediate family under the government’s refugee family reunion scheme.Individuals resettled under Pathway 1 and 3 will not be eligible for this scheme as they will not be granted refugee status. However, they may be  eligible to apply to sponsor family members under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules. These Rules provide for a partner, dependent children and adult dependent relatives to apply to join, or stay with, a settled person in the UK.For those evacuated from Afghanistan under ACRS P1 without their immediate family members, the Home Secretary has committed to establishing a route for separated families to be reunited. Further details will be provided in due course.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases have been accepted under the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme.

Robert Jenrick: The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help at-risk people in Afghanistan and, so far, we have brought around 24,600 people to safety, including thousands of people eligible for our Afghan schemes. We continue to honour our commitments to bring eligible Afghans to the UK. The latest published Operational data fact sheet on Afghan resettlement schemes shows the following by ACRS pathway, we have now resettled: 9,676 individuals under ACRS Pathway 1, 66 individuals under ACRS Pathway 2 and 41 individuals under ACRS Pathway 3.Operational data is viewable at: Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Afghan operational data is released quarterly with the next publication due around the 23rd November 2023.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to (a) identify and (b) extract Afghan citizens from Pakistan who are eligible for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

Robert Jenrick: We will continue to honour our commitment to bring eligible Afghans to the UK and plans are underway to relocate families as soon as possible. Afghans in third countries including in Pakistan who are eligible for resettlement to the UK continue to be supported by the UK Government, and flights from Pakistan to the UK continue to take place. However, we are unable to provide further operational details on this.

Immigration Controls: Airports

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there is a minimum staff presence ratio requirement for the operation of e-gates at UK border points.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office’s priority is to deliver a safe and secure border and we will never compromise on this. Border Force maintain 100% checks for all scheduled arriving passengers into the UK and this will be continued during any period.To maintain border security we do not comment on the details of operational deployments. Border Force keeps its resourcing and staffing numbers under constant review in light of passenger arrival data provided by carriers and port operators.

Immigration Controls: Airports

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that the number of operational e-gates at UK border points in airports adequately reflects the number of expected arrivals at different times of day.

Robert Jenrick: Border Force is committed to ensuring passengers wait times are kept to a minimum, however this must be balanced with our duty to Border Security, checking 100% of passports and making sure that anyone or anything that might cause harm to the UK is correctly dealt with.Resource and staffing requirements at every port are continually reviewed by Border Force who work closely with port operators to ensure resources are deployed flexibly as and when they are required.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish the eligibility criteria for the second stage of the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme Pathway 3.

Robert Jenrick: Resettlement of eligible Afghans remains a top priority for this government. As of June 2023, around 24,600 vulnerable people affected by the events in Afghanistan have been brought to safety. This includes the first individuals to be relocated under Pathway 3 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).Under the first stage of Pathway 3, the government will consider all eligible at-risk British Council and GardaWorld contractors and Chevening alumni that expressed an interest during the FCDO’s window of opportunity. This means we will exceed the original cap of 1,500 places for the first stage of ACRS Pathway 3. Our immediate focus is on ensuring their resettlement.In the second stage of Pathway 3, our commitment to work with international partners and NGOs to welcome wider groups of Afghans still stands. However, we are not able to open for referrals at this present time for the second stage of Pathway 3, but further information will be published in due course.

Foreign Influence Registration Scheme

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in which month she plans that the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme will go live.

Tom Tugendhat: We intend that the scheme will become operational in 2024. The work to deliver this, including establishing a Scheme Management Unit and supporting IT and developing relevant guidance is happening at pace. A public consultation on guidance for the scheme is currently live until 01 December on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/foreign-influence-registration-scheme-draft-guidance).The Government expects to publicise the intended ‘go live’ date a number of months in advance to give those affected by the scheme time to prepare.

Refugees: Families

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will have discussions with the UNHCR on the potential merits of a family reunion policy which seeks relocation for refugees in countries closer to their country of origin.

Robert Jenrick: Between 2015 and June 2023, the UK has issued more than 46,511 family reunion visas. More than half of those were issued to children. This is no small number and demonstrates the Government’s commitment to upholding the principle of family unity.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the standard of proof for unsafe journeys for Afghan people.

Robert Jenrick: We published guidance called “Unable to travel to a Visa Application Centre to enrol biometrics (overseas applications)” in May 2023, which is available on Gov.UK. It sets out how we treat applicants who claim it is unsafe for them to travel to a visa application centre (VAC) to enrol their biometrics.

Asylum and Visas: Appeals

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken to implement (a) visa and (b) asylum appeals that were accepted at tribunal stage was in the last 12 months.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the most common causes of gaps in the time between (a) visa or asylum appeals being approved at tribunal and (b) those decisions being implemented.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken to implement visa and asylum appeals that are overturned by the tribunal court.

Robert Jenrick: The requested information cannot be accurately extracted from our internal systems. To provide this information would require a manual trawl of successful appeals and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Biometric Residence Permits

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of Biometric Residence Permit cards that have been wrongly issued in the last 12 months.

Robert Jenrick: The information is not available publicly and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Offenders: Foreign Nationals

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national offenders have been categorised as high-prolife by her Department in each year since 2015.

Robert Jenrick: The information requested about how many foreign national offenders have been categorised as high-profile since 2015 is not available from published statistics. Information on the number of foreign national offenders that are returned from the UK is available quarterly from Table Ret_D03 in the Returns Data tables of the Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Migrants: Health Services

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of raising the immigration health surcharge to £2,700 per person per year.

Robert Jenrick: The Immigration Health Surcharge rates are under review to ensure that it reflects the full cost of providing healthcare services and the extra cost pressure that the migrant-driven population growth is placing on the NHS. The Government is increasing the IHS rates, as set out in legislation laid before Parliament on 19 October. The increased IHS rates of £1,035 (full rate) and £776 (discounted rate) detailed in the Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment) Order 2023 are based on the Department for Health and Social Care’s estimate of the average annual cost to the NHS of treating IHS payers.

Migrants: Health Services

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her planned timetable is for implementing the forthcoming increase in the immigration health surcharge.

Robert Jenrick: The Immigration (Health Charge) (Amendment Order) 2023 was laid in Parliament on 19 October and is subject to parliamentary process. The IHS increase will come into force on 16 January or 21 days after the Order is made whichever is later.

Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership will operate in the absence of the Northern Ireland Executive.

Robert Jenrick: We have continued to work in close partnership with Northern Ireland government departments in the absence of an Executive. There is no longer a Strategic Migration Partnership in Northern Ireland. Instead the Home Office have agreements with a number of Northern Ireland government departments. This approach was made in full consultation with relevant partners in Northern Ireland, taking into consideration governmental structures in Northern Ireland and with an aim to ensure the best possible outcomes for service users.

Asylum: Afghanistan

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 on access to the asylum system for Afghan people.

Robert Jenrick: There has not been an explicit assessment on the impact this has on people of Afghanistan; however, impact assessments regarding the Illegal Migration Act have been published on GOV. UK under Illegal Migration Bill: overarching documents - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Refugees: Afghanistan

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Westminster Hall debate on Safe Asylum Routes: Afghan Refugees on 17th October 2023, whether she has made an estimate of the number of additional caseworkers required to ensure all Afghan people who have come to the UK through the Afghan Citizen's Resettlement Scheme 1 can be reunited with family members eligible for family reunion in the UK.

Robert Jenrick: The government is committed to ensuring operational teams have the resources they need to run an efficient and effective system, and we actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand.We also remain committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan. The situation in the region is complex and presents significant challenges, including how those who are eligible for resettlement in the UK can leave the country. This includes eligible immediate family members of those being resettled under the ACRS.

Immigration Controls: Airports

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to monitor waiting times for (a) UK and (b) non-UK passport holders to clear the UK Border at (i) Heathrow and (ii) Gatwick Airport.

Robert Jenrick: Border Force measures and monitors wait times at all major UK ports including Heathrow and Gatwick to ensure the flow of legitimate travel into UK.Border Force is committed to ensuring passengers wait times are kept to a minimum, however this must be balanced with our duty to Border Security, checking 100% of passports and making sure that anyone or anything that might cause harm to the UK is correctly dealt with.Resource and staffing requirements at every port are continually reviewed by Border Force who work closely with port operators to ensure resources are deployed flexibly as and when they are required.The latest Border Force transparency data shows that 95% of arrivals to the UK were cleared within the service standard in the second quarter of this year and in July, 90% of passengers surveyed were satisfied with their experience at UK border control. The most recent data is available on Gov.UK; www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-force-transparency-data-q2-2023

Agriculture: Seasonal Workers

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that workers employed by a seasonal workers scheme license holder do not face barriers to employment when action is taken against the holder of the sponsor licence.

Robert Jenrick: The Scheme Operators are already required to have a clear employer transfer pathway in place as a condition of holding their sponsor licence, including transparent criteria for making a transfer request and a process for considering such requests. The Scheme Operators must not normally refuse requests to change employers, and may only do so where there are significant reasons preventing a transfer, for example the imminent expiry of a workers visa. This is set out in published Home Office guidance, available at: Workers and Temporary Workers: guidance for sponsors: sponsor a seasonal worker - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)In the event that a scheme operator for the Seasonal Worker routes became unlicensed for any reason, the Home Office will consider each case on its own merits and tailor its response accordingly. Defra will, where appropriate, support the Home Office in delivering this response.

Home Office: Consultants

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many independent consultants her Department has appointed for the purposes of providing personal briefings for Ministers in the last three years.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the names of people who have acted as independent consultants for the purposes of providing personal briefings for Ministers in her Department in the last three years.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recruitment process her Department follows for the appointment of independent consultants to provide personal briefings for Ministers.

Chris Philp: This information is not centrally held by the Department, however we are aware of two roles which fall into this category.Nick Timothy-Independent Consultant working directly to the previous Home Secretary.Independent Adviser for the Defending Democracy Taskforce and Open-Source Intelligence Hub a short term advisory role reporting to Ministers. This is a new role, with recruitment currently underway.In line with central guidance, direct appointments can be made to short-term, advisory roles, for example to lead a government review or to advise on, or champion, a specific subject. The name and purpose of a role can vary, but each appointee is provided with terms of appointment which set out their key responsibilities.Direct appointees are office holders. There is no contract of employment, and the expectation is that such roles are unpaid. However, in limited circumstances, if the Permanent Secretary/Accounting Officer is content, then reasonable remuneration (in line with current policy on pay levels) may be payable.When selecting an appointee (for a direct appointment), Ministers will consider what they want the role to achieve, which is set out in a draft terms of reference document. In light of this, high level criteria for the skills and experience required for an individual to do the role are developed. Appropriate due diligence checks are carried out by the department and consideration given to any conflicts of interest with the role and whether/how these can be managed.Direct appointments are not public appointments (which are made by ministers to non-executive roles on the bodies and offices listed in an Order in Council and therefore the process and principles of the Governance Code do not apply. Neither do these appointments fall under the remit of the independent Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Abortion: Demonstrations

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to bring into force legislative provisions in the Public Order Act 2023 relating to safe access zones around abortion clinics.

Chris Philp: The Public Order Act 2023 received Royal Assent on 2 May. Implementation of the Public Order Act measures is staggered.The Government respects the will of Parliament and is working to commence Safe Access Zones as soon as is practicably possible. We have been considering what needs to be done to ensure Safe Access Zones can be implemented as effectively as possible, with law enforcement agencies having a clear and consistent understanding around enforcement, and abortion service providers and protestors being clear as to what is expected under the new law.The timescales for commencing the new Section 9 offence of interference with access to, or provision of, abortion services will be confirmed in due course.

Stop and Search: Greater London

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with the Metropolitan Police on creating a stop and search charter for London.

Chris Philp: The Home Office has a regular programme of force engagement on stop and search, including with the Metropolitan Police Service. This has not specifically covered the creation of a stop and search charter for London.The Home Office have recently run a consultation on our proposed framework for community scrutiny of stop and search, to ensure the power is used proportionately and appropriately.

Police Custody: Legal Representation

Andrew Western: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department issues to regional police forces on allowing legal representatives access to the booking-in desk in police custody suites.

Chris Philp: Police custody is governed by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) Codes of Practice which sets out the legal framework for the detention, treatment and questioning of persons by police ofﬁcers. Additionally, the operational management of custody suites is carried out in accordance with the Authorised Professional Practise requirements as set by the College of Policing.PACE Code C states clearly that police must inform an arrested person in custody about their continuing rights, including the right to consult privately with a solicitor at any time, whether in person, in writing or by telephone, and the right to free independent legal advice. The custody officer must act without delay to secure the provision of such advice.Access to legal advice may be delayed if a person is in police custody in connection with an indictable offence, has not yet been charged, and an officer of superintendent rank or above has reasonable grounds to believe it would otherwise lead to (i) interference with, or harm to, evidence connected with an indictable offence or interference with, or physical harm to, other people; (ii) alerting other people suspected of having committed an indictable offence but not yet arrested for it or (iii) hinder the recovery of property obtained in consequence of the commission of such an offence.The Home Office does not have plans to amend PACE Code C further or provide additional guidance to forces.

Stop and Search: Hornsey and Wood Green

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many stop and search incidents took place in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency between September 2022 and September 2023.

Chris Philp: The Home Office publishes data from police forces on the number of stop and searches, broken down by Police Force Area and Community Safety Partnership (CSP) Area, including the London borough of Haringey. Data is not published at parliamentary constituency level.The latest data, covering the financial year ending 31 March 2023, by CSP area, can be found in table SS_47 of the Stop and search summary data tables which accompany the Police Powers and procedures: Stop and search and arrest statistics:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/stop-and-search-and-arrests-year-ending-march-2023Statistics by CSP area are designated as Official Statistics in Development (previously known as “Experimental Statistics”), to reflect ongoing work to improve data quality.

Sleeping Rough

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria she uses to distinguish which rough sleepers do so as a lifestyle choice.

Chris Philp: The Government is taking action to prevent people from becoming homeless and rough sleeping in the first place. There are varying causes of homelessness and rough sleeping that are unique to each individual case.The Government’s rough sleeping strategy sets out a ‘prevention first to approach’, including bringing forward investment to help ensure that nobody leaves a public institution for the streets, such as prison, hospital or care.

Children: Organised Crime

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent children being (a) exploited, (b) recruited into criminal organisations and (c) involved in knife crime in the West Midlands.

Chris Philp: This Government is determined to crack down on knife crime and the criminal gangs who are exploiting our children and have a devastating impact on our communities.That is why we are investing in a number of programmes to respond to child exploitation including the Prevention Programme, delivered by The Children’s Society, who work with partners across sectors to tackle and prevent a range of exploitation types.In addition, we are investing up to £145m over three years in our County Lines Programme which provides funding for targeted operational activity in the four largest exporting force areas including West Midlands Police. We are also investing in dedicated specialist support provided by Catch-22 to help those who are criminally exploited through county lines to safely reduce and exit their involvement. Since the County Lines Programme was launched in 2019, police activity has resulted in over 4,700 lines closed, over 14,800 arrests and over 7,200 safeguarding referrals.The Government is also committed to ensuring that the police have the tools and powers they need to tackle the scourge of knife crime on our streets. We are currently piloting Serious Violence Reduction Orders in the West Midlands which give the police more powers to stop and search convicted knife offenders. We also plan to legislate on banning zombie-style machetes and knives that have no practical use, more powers for police to seize knives that could be used in crimes, and a new offence and higher sentencing to those who sell and possess these dangerous weapons.Since 2019, West Midlands Police have received over £20m of funding for a Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) (including £4.38m this year) and £19m (including £3.4m this year) for the Grip programme. Collectively, these programmes are providing a multi-agency preventative response designed to tackle the drivers of violence, alongside additional, high visibility patrols and problem-solving tactics in the areas worst affected.

Police

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers per capita there were in (a) England and Wales, (b) London and (c) the London Borough of Barnet in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales on a biannual basis in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: Police workforce England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).These data are collected at Police Force Area level only, and information at lower levels of geography, such as Parliamentary Constituencies or Metropolitan Boroughs is not collected.Table H4 of the data tables accompanying each publication, shows the number of full time equivalent (FTE) police officers as at 31 March per 100,000 resident population both nationally and at a Police Force Area level.The latest data, as at 31 March 2023, shows there are 247 police officers per 100,000 resident population in England and Wales, and 408 in the London region.

Police: Cycling

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 24 October 2023 to Question 202707on Police: Cycling, if she will hold discussions with police forces on establishing guidelines on the costs of security for large cycling tours.

Chris Philp: Guidance for charging for Special Policing Services is owned and maintained by the National Police Chiefs’ Council. This guidance is published on the NPCC’s website National Policing Guidelines on Charging for Police Services (npcc.police.uk)It is an operational matter for the police to determine on a case by case basis, as part of local Safety Advisory Groups, the level of policing required for events. Policing costs are driven by the level of resources required, which will vary according to the police’s assessment of the specific risks attached to an event.

Anti-social Behaviour: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle antisocial behaviour in Enfield North constituency.

Chris Philp: On 27 March, the Government launched the Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-social-behaviour-action-plan ensuring the police, local authorities and other relevant agencies have the tools they need to tackle anti-social behaviour.The plan is backed by £160m of funding. This includes up to £60m to fund an increased police and other uniformed presence to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, targeting hotspots. Initially we will work with 10 police force areas, but from 2024 we will support a hotspot approach across every police force area in England and Wales.We are also providing up to £50m to support the provision of Immediate Justice, by issuing out of court disposals with conditions to swiftly repair any damage – the aim being for them to start within 48 hours of referral. This has started in 10 initial trailblazer police force areas and will be rolled out nationally in 2024.

Emergency Calls: Mental Health

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of 999 calls related to mental health (a) nationally and (b) in each police force area in each of the last two years.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects data on volumes of 999 calls by force area.The Home Office does not collect or publish data regarding the proportion of 999 calls related to mental health issues.This data may be available from individual forces.

Cabinet Office

Prime Minister: Sign Language

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many of the Prime Minister’s office's (a) press conferences, (b) social media posts and (c) webpages have been accessible to British Sign Language users since 25 October 2022.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Prime Minister will make an assessment of the potential merits of making Downing Street subject to the reporting requirements of Section 2 of the British Sign Language Act 2022 on a voluntary basis.

Alex Burghart: We are committed to ensuring that government communications are available and accessible across multiple channels and in a number of alternative formats in order to meet a range of needs. British Sign Language interpretation is provided for the vast majority of No.10 press conferences via the BBC News channel (available on Freeview) and iPlayer through the BBC. For No.10 press conferences that do not carry British Sign Language interpretation via the BBC, a British Sign Language interpretation is uploaded on YouTube as soon as possible after the event. The first Government BSL report was published in July 2023, and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-british-sign-language-bsl-report-2022/the-british-sign-language-bsl-report-2022 The Government will be publishing a second report on the use of BSL in government communications by 31 July 2024. No. 10 is an operational part of the Cabinet Office, which is a relevant government department under Section 2 of the Act.

National Security Council

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many National Security Council meetings at Ministerial level there have been since 1 September 2023.

Alex Burghart: It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.

Department for Transport

Roads: Darlington

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking with (a) Highways England and (b) Tees Valley Combined Authority to construct a north link road for Darlington.

Guy Opperman: Proposals for a link road between the A66 and Junction 59 of the A1(M) were originally developed by Tees Valley Combined Authority. National Highways has applied feasibility assessments to the proposals and more recently, its Route Strategies process has considered the current pressures and future needs of the strategic road network in the Tees Valley area and specific issues facing the A1(M) and A66 around Darlington. This work in addition to TVCA’s proposals will inform investment priorities for the strategic road network as part of future road investment strategies.

Airports: Mental Health Services

Lee Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will have discussions with airport operators on the adequacy of provision within airports for people with (a) autism and (b) other conditions that cause sensory overload.

Anthony Browne: Aviation accessibility is a priority for government. The Department for Transport is in regular discussions with airport operators and will be hosting workshops on accessibility with the industry in November. These will include considerations around non-visible disabilities and neurodiversity. The government's Disability and Access Ambassador for Aviation also ran a workshop on 5 October 2023 covering how the UK standard for designing and managing the built environment for people with neurodiversity, ‘Design for the Mind,’ can be incorporated into UK airports.

Bus Services: Concessions

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the £2 bus fare cap on passenger numbers in rural areas.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Transport is running a Monitoring and Evaluation exercise to review the £2 bus fare cap scheme so that we will be in position to properly assess the impact it has had on bus fares and patronage. The Department has now published two interim reports on GOV.UK, found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-2-bus-fare-cap, and will publish the final report evaluating the impact of the £2 fare cap by the end of Spring 2024. The Department for Transport's local bus fare statistics show that between June 22 and June 23, bus fares have dropped by 7.4% in England, outside London, and by 10.8% in rural and non-metropolitan parts of England. In Scotland, Wales and London, where the buses are devolved, fares increased by 10.3%, 6.3% and 6.0%, respectively.

Thameslink Line: Overcrowding

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department made of trends in the level of overcrowding on Thameslink trains between Mill Hill Broadway and St Pancras during peak times.

Huw Merriman: GTR report that the busiest individual Thameslink services between Mill Hill Broadway and St Pancras will typically be at around 50 to 60 per cent of capacity during peak times, with most services outside of the peak being less busy. The eight carriage Class 700 trains which Thameslink operate on this particular route have a nominal capacity of around 1,200 people and were designed to accommodate a large proportion of standing passengers.

Parking: Pedestrian Areas

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on his Department's consultation on Managing pavement parking, published on 31 August 2020.

Guy Opperman: Ministers have had informal discussions with colleagues from time to time.

Alternative Fuels

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to incentivise the adoption of low-carbon liquid fuels.

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to support research and development in the production and distribution of sustainable low-carbon liquid fuels for the transportation sector.

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has taken steps to (a) provide a regulatory framework for and (b) encourage the use of low-carbon liquid fuels in vehicles with internal combustion engines.

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential role of low-carbon liquid fuels in reducing transport emissions.

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress he has made on promoting the use of low-carbon liquid fuels in the transport sector.

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure a (a) secure and (b) sustainable supply chain for low-carbon liquid fuel.

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to accelerate the (a) development and (b) commercialization of advanced low-carbon liquid fuel technologies.

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution to the UK's Net Zero targets of low-carbon liquid fuels.

Anthony Browne: The Government has supported the uptake of low carbon fuels for 15 years through its Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme. The RTFO sets targets for the supply of low carbon fuels and sustainability criteria, which these fuels must meet. The RTFO has been highly successful in securing a market for the supply of low carbon liquid fuels in the UK. Under current carbon budgets, low carbon fuels contribute a third of greenhouse gas (GHG) savings in the domestic transport sector. In 2022, low carbon fuel that were reported under the RTFO saved on average 82 per cent carbon emissions compared to the fossil fuels that they replaced, saving 7.2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. In 2022, low carbon fuel made up 6.8 per cent of total road fuel supplied. The Department plans to introduce a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mandate from 2025, which will require at least ten per cent of UK aviation fuel to be made from sustainable sources from 2030. The Jet Zero Strategy set out that the use of SAF could contribute up to 17% of the emissions savings needed in the aviation sector by 2050. The Department has accelerated the uptake of advanced low carbon fuels by allocating £171 million to advanced fuel demonstration projects through four competitions and is setting up a UK SAF Clearing House to support the testing and approval of advanced fuels for aviation.The Department will also publish a Low Carbon Fuels Strategy to further support investment by setting out a vision for the deployment of low carbon fuels across transport modes up to 2050.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the DVLA is taking to help ensure that people without internet access are able to use their services following the end of its contract with the Post Office in March 2024.

Guy Opperman: Post Office Ltd currently provides a limited range of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) services and an extension to the current contract has been agreed, ensuring that DVLA services will be available at post offices until the end of March 2024.The DVLA wants its customers to be able to access its services as quickly and as easily as possible and the role of front office counter services will form part of the considerations of future service offerings, utilising government agreements if necessary.The vast majority of those licensing vehicles already do so online or via the DVLA’s automated telephone service, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The DVLA will continue to ensure that all customers are able to license their vehicles.

Motor Vehicles: Fraud

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to help prevent the provision of fraudulent information to the DVLA when a vehicle's keeper changes.

Guy Opperman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has long-standing and robust measures in place to ensure that keepers notify when they buy and sell a vehicle.It is an offence to provide the DVLA with false or misleading information and the DVLA works with key stakeholders to identify and prevent vehicle fraud. The DVLA actively gathers information and intelligence regarding illegal and improper conduct and will follow up any notifications of fraudulent activity with the relevant authorities.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that transport infrastructure is adequately prepared before the phase-out of new non-zero emission L-Category vehicles comes into effect.

Guy Opperman: In March 2022 the Department for Transport published its EV Infrastructure Strategy, which set out its plans to accelerate the rollout of EV chargepoints. This infrastructure will also support the charging of zero emission L-Category vehicles. The strategy states that the Government’s expectation is that approximately 300,000 chargepoints will be installed across the UK by 2030, at a minimum. The Government is committed to continuing to work with the L-Category industry to support the transition to zero emission vehicles.

Hendon Broadway Station: Access

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the feasibility of improving disabled access to platforms at Hendon Broadway station.

Guy Opperman: Hendon Station was nominated by Govia Thameslink Railway for the next round of the Access for All Programme. The Department will announce the successful stations in due course. Mill Hill Broadway Station was successful in the last round of Access for All funding, this scheme is being progressed by Network Rail which includes the provision of an accessible footbridge and access to the undercroft.

Hybrid Vehicles: Testing

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to provide an exemption for hybrid vehicles from having a fully operational range extender in MOT tests.

Guy Opperman: The Secretary of State currently has no plans to bring forward legislation to provide an exemption for hybrid vehicles from having a functioning range extender. To do so would compromise safety and emissions testing.

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to reduce international shipping emissions independently of the International Maritime Organisation.

Guy Opperman: The UK proudly hosts the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and is committed to acting through the IMO to address international shipping pollutants and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A decade of concerted action at international level has seen effective reductions in pollutant emissions and the UK took a leading role in advocating for the global IMO sulphur cap for marine fuels in 2020. Domestically the Government published guidance to support UK ports to reduce pollutant emissions and since April 2010 applied limits to sulphur content of marine fuels for ships at berth. To complement UK climate leadership at the IMO, particularly in securing the ambitious IMO Greenhouse Gas Strategy (July 2023), the UK has been a driving force on the development of clean maritime technologies, with announcements at London International Shipping Week’s Clean Maritime Day on Green Shipping Corridors through the Clydebank Declaration and launching a £1.5 million International Green Corridor Fund in September 2023, as well as the winners of the over £80 million Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition, which will see zero emission vessels deployed in the UK by 2025. We will also set out how we will take ambitious action domestically in the forthcoming refreshed Clean Maritime Plan, which will set out an ambitious and credible pathway to net zero GHG emissions for the sector, considering the impact of our own domestic action and international measures, as these develop through the IMO.

Cars: Noise

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to prevent the use of modified car exhausts which generate excessive noise.

Guy Opperman: The Department has been trialling noise camera technology to understand if it can be used to automatically detect when vehicles are excessively noisy, such as when car exhausts have been modified. As set out in the Government’s recent Plan for Drivers, the Department intends to publish the findings of the trial shortly and issue guidance to local authorities setting out minimum requirements and best practice for the use of noise cameras Compliance with vehicle standards is monitored by the Department’s Market Surveillance Unit based in the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). Current and past market surveillance activity includes targeted investigation of both illegal vehicle modifications in respect of exhaust replacement and of the legality of silencers which form part of the exhaust system. Prosecutions will be taken where there is sufficient evidence to do so. There are currently cases of this type in the court system waiting to be heard.

Thameslink Line: Overcrowding

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average spare capacity was on Thameslink trains from Mill Hill Broadway to St Pancras during peak hours in the latest period for which figures are available.

Huw Merriman: GTR report that the busiest individual Thameslink services between Mill Hill Broadway and St Pancras will typically be at around 50 to 60 per cent of capacity during peak times, with most services outside of the peak being less busy. The eight carriage Class 700 trains which Thameslink operate on this particular route have a nominal capacity of around 1,200 people and were designed to accommodate a large proportion of standing passengers.

Parking: Pedestrian Areas

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many full time equivalent staff in his Department were working on the response to the Managing pavement parking consultation on 1 November 2023.

Guy Opperman: This subject is the responsibility of the Civil Parking and Traffic Enforcement team. In that team there were three members of staff whose responsibilities on 1 November included the subject of pavement parking, including the public consultation process.

Motorcycles: Training

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposals relating to reform of Compulsory Basic Training published by the Motorcycle Industry Association in its document entitled A Licence to Net Zero on (a) road safety, (b) quality of rider training and (c) the skill levels of riders.

Guy Opperman: The Minister for Roads and Local Transport intends to engage with the Motorcycle Industry Association on its proposals, in the near future, to consider how they align with existing work and plans on Compulsory Basic Training and licence reform.

Pedestrians: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the safety of pedestrians in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Transport updated the Highway Code on 29 January 2022 to include changes to improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders. However, responsibility for managing London's road network is shared between Transport for London (TfL), National Highways, and the 32 London boroughs, plus the City of London. They are responsible for making decisions about local roads, based on their local knowledge and taking into account local needs.

Bus Services: Concessions

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to encourage more bus operators to participate in the £2 bus fare cap.

Guy Opperman: The Government is investing nearly £600 million to deliver a £2 fare cap on single bus fares in England outside London to help passengers save on their regular travel costs, which the Prime Minister recently announced would be extended until the end of 2024. The Department for Transport has worked to ensure the fare cap is designed to be as equitable as possible in terms of its support for passengers across England, and worked closely with bus operators in designing and implementing the scheme to try and encourage their participation. This includes reducing the administrative burden on operators where possible. Ultimately, however, participation in the scheme from operators is voluntary and this is therefore a decision for them to take.The Department for Transport's local bus fare statistics show that between June 22 and June 23, bus fares have dropped by 7.4% in England, outside London, and by 10.8% in rural and non-metropolitan parts of England. In Scotland, Wales and London, where the buses are devolved, fares increased by 10.3%, 6.3% and 6.0%, respectively

Bus Services: Concessions

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department made an assessment of the impact of the rurality of each council area on the level of funding provided for each bus service improvement plan.

Guy Opperman: The Government recognises the importance of transport provision in rural areas and is committed to finding solutions which ensure that local communities in these areas have viable and improved transport services. The Government is supporting LTAs and bus operators with the provision of local bus services. Over £1 billion was allocated to 34 Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) in the first phase of funding for LTAs to deliver their BSIPs. All other LTAs received funding from the £160m BSIP+ fund announced in May 2023. On 4 October Government announced new funding of over £1bn from redirected HS2 funding to levelling up bus services across the North and Midlands, with £150m allocated for 2024/25. This funding has been provided to both urban and rural areas (e.g. Shropshire).We have also announced that a new uplift of 60% will be added to Community Transport Operators’ (CTOs) Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) claims until 31 March 2025. On top of this, we have extended the £2 fare cap, which includes Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) funded through the Rural Mobility Fund (RMF), until the end of 2024, meaning we are investing nearly £600 million in total to cap bus fares. LTAs in receipt of BSIP and/or BSIP+ funding may use the funding to target it on the actions that they – and local operators through their Enhanced Partnership (where relevant) – believe will deliver the best overall outcomes in growing long term patronage, revenues and thus maintaining service levels, whilst maintaining essential social and economic connectivity for local communities.

Motorcycles: Driving Licences

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposals relating to reform of the licensing process for L-Category vehicles published by the Motorcycle Industry Association in its document entitled A Licence to Net Zero on (a) the cost of L-Category licensing for (i) the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and (ii) riders and (b) DVSA L-Category test capacity.

Guy Opperman: The Government is open to discussing ideas for reform of the existing licensing regime for powered light vehicles known as L category vehicles where they do not compromise safety standards. The Government intends to engage with the Motorcycle Industry Association in the coming weeks to discuss and consider how they align with existing work and planning linked to licencing reform.

Public Transport: Visual Impairment

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve travel experiences for blind and partially sighted people on public transport; and if he will make a statement.

Guy Opperman: The Government remains committed to the ambition set out in the 2018 Inclusive Transport Strategy – that disabled people, including those who are visually impaired, will be able to travel easily, confidently and without additional cost. The Department has taken many steps to progress this commitment; for example, earlier this year we introduced the Accessible Information Regulations, which will require the provision of audible and visible announcements onboard local bus and coach services across Great Britain.The Department has also made £75m available to Network Rail to ensure that all mainline stations have platform edge tactile paving by 2025.

Public Transport: Strangford

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland on the adequacy of public transport in rural communities in Strangford constituency.

Guy Opperman: Public transport is a matter that is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. My officials are in regular contact with their counterparts in the Department for Infrastructure. I would welcome a discussion once the Executive has reformed.

Public Transport: Rural Areas

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support public transport in rural areas.

Guy Opperman: Transport in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. The Government provides Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) in England outside of London with £42 million annually through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) for the purpose of subsidising socially necessary services that would otherwise be commercially unviable, helping to support rural routes. The Government also provides over £200 million directly to bus operators every year through the BSOG to keep fares down and help them maintain an extensive network. Our £20 million Rural Mobility Fund (RMF) in England is supporting 16 innovative, demand-led minibus trials in rural and suburban areas across 16 local authorities in England. These pilots are exploring whether Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) can serve these communities more effectively than traditional public transport solutions alone.

Cycle to Work Scheme: Fees and Charges

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of administration fees charged by providers of services operated under the Cycle to Work scheme on independent cycle shops.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Transport has not made any such assessment.

Blue Badge Scheme: Enforcement

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of making the blue badge scheme enforceable on off-street local authority land.

Guy Opperman: The Blue Badge scheme is a national scheme, the scope and legal parameters of which (including the eligibility criteria) are set by the Government. Blue Badges are recognised throughout the UK and provide concessions which apply to on-street parking. There are no plans to change this.

Driving Tests: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data he holds on the average waiting time for a driving test in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London as of 27 October 2023.

Guy Opperman: In October 2023, the average waiting time for a car practical driving test in (a) Enfield North Constituency and (b) the London Borough of Enfield was 24 weeks, and in (c) London it was 23.5 weeks.

Electric Vehicles: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made a recent assessment of his Department's progress on increasing the number of electric vehicle charging points in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Guy Opperman: The most recent published figures for London, London Borough of Enfield and Enfield North Constituency can be found in the tables below. The first table shows the number of public charging devices, and those public devices funded under the On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS). From October 2022 to October 2023 London has seen a 54% increase in the number of public charging devices, and the London Borough of Enfield a 16% increase.  Public Charging Devices (Oct 23)ORCS Completed (Jul 23)ORCS Approved Applications (Jul 23)London16,9631,5577,921London Borough of Enfield2422332Enfield North Constituency67Data not heldData not held  The second table shows residential and workplace devices funded by the following schemes: Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant (EVCG), Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS), Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) and Domestic Recharging Scheme (DRS). EVCG Sockets (Jul 23)WCS Sockets (Jul 23)EVHS (Jul 23)DRS (Jul 23)London7952,98126,3791,031London Borough of Enfield29921,14527Enfield North Constituency13313008 Going forward, the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund will support local authorities to work with industry and transform the availability of public charging for drivers without off-street parking. London – which includes the Enfield North constituency – has been allocated £35.7 million in capital funding, and £3 million in capability (resource) funding through the LEVI Fund. Local authorities can also continue to apply for support from the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS).

Bus Services: Passengers

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to help increase the number of passengers on bus routes where the fare is not capped at £2.

Guy Opperman: The central aim of our National Bus Strategy is to get more people travelling by bus, and we will only achieve this if we can make buses a practical and attractive alternative to the car for more people.The Department for Transport is investing in the bus sector to deliver the ambitions of the National Bus Strategy to make bus services more reliable and cheaper. We are providing over £2 billion of funding for English Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) outside London to support the delivery of Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs), some of which include the introduction of local fares initiatives. This includes £1 billion from the first phase of BSIP funding announced in 2022, £160m from the second phase of funding announced in May 2023 (BSIP+) and a further £1 billion announced by the Prime Minister in October 2023 for LTAs across the North and the Midlands, redirected from HS2.Our £20 million Rural Mobility Fund (RMF) in England is supporting 16 innovative, demand-led minibus trials in rural and suburban areas across 16 local authorities in England. These pilots are exploring whether Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) can serve these communities more effectively than traditional public transport solutions alone. On top of this, we have announced that a new uplift of 60% will be added to Community Transport Operators’ (CTOs) Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) claims until 31 March 2025.

Public Transport: County Durham

Dehenna Davison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of public transport in County Durham.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Transport is investing in the bus sector to deliver the ambitions of the National Bus Strategy to make bus services more reliable and cheaper. We are providing over £2 billion of funding for English Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) outside London to support the delivery of Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs), including the introduction of new services. This includes the recent announcement of an additional £1 billion redirected from HS2 to support bus services in the North and Midlands.We have also announced that a new uplift of 60% will be added to Community Transport Operators’ (CTOs) Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) claims until 31 March 2025. On top of this, we have extended the £2 bus fare cap until the end of 2024, meaning we are investing nearly £600 million in total to cap bus fares.North East Combined Authority and North of Tyne Combined Authority received £163,521,172 in Government funding to make improvements set out in their joint BSIP up to March 2025 in the first phase of BSIP funding. They have also been indicatively allocated £11.2 million in further BSIP funding from Network North for 2024/25. The allocations for future years will be published in due course.

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the update to the Clean Maritime Plan.

Guy Opperman: As per my response on 04 September, the department is working to publish an update to the Clean Maritime Plan as soon as possible.

Parking: Pedestrian Areas

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for Women and Equalities, on tackling the impact of pavement parking on disabled people.

Guy Opperman: Ministers have a multitude of informal discussions with colleagues.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will (a) commission a public awareness campaign on the potential merits of owning an L-Category vehicle and (b) introduce (i) grants, (ii) incentives and (iii) other demand-side policies for the L-Category vehicle sector in the period before the phase-out of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles.

Guy Opperman: The UK Government’s Plug-in Vehicle Grants have been in place for over a decade. This includes the Plug-in Motorcycle Grant, which was introduced in 2017. It provides £500 towards eligible zero-emission L3 vehicles (motorcycles) and £150 towards eligible zero-emission L1 vehicles (mopeds). Through this grant, the Government has provided £8m funding to support the adoption of these vehicles. A consultation on when to end the sale of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles (including mopeds and motorcycles) was conducted earlier this year. The Department is analysing the responses and will publish a response in due course. The Government has no current plans to commission a specific public awareness campaign on the merits of owning an L-Category vehicle.

Question

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on using geospatial data to support the expansion of the electric vehicle charging network.

Anthony Browne: The Department uses geospatial data aggregated up to various output levels, which are published as Official Statistics. These can be found at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/electric-vehicle-charging-infrastructure-statistics. The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) then uses this data as part of its policy decision making process.

Railways: West Midlands

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will redirect funding that would have otherwise been used for the cancelled phase 2 of HS2 to electrification of the Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton line.

Huw Merriman: I am aware of and grateful for Midlands Connect’s Strategic Outline Business Case which sets out the case for the electrification of the Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton line, as well as work from other local parties to identify and promote improvements to the line. We are committed to a rail infrastructure portfolio which delivers benefits for rail users and value for money for the taxpayer. Individual schemes are assessed on their alignment with Government priorities and the strength of their business cases in line with the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline policy.

High Speed 2 Line: Euston Station

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 4 March 2021 to Question 158968 on High Speed 2 Line: Euston Station, how many and what proportion of land and property acquisitions by HS2 Ltd in connection with the development of London Euston station were secured by (a) legal agreement with the owners of that land and property and (b) compulsory purchase order.

Huw Merriman: High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd acquired 73 property interests in connection with the development of London Euston station. Of these 10 were acquired by agreement (13.7%) and 63 were acquired by compulsory purchase (86.3%).

Railway Stations: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the accessibility of train stations to disabled people in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Huw Merriman: The Plan for Rail announced a comprehensive accessibility audit of network facilities. Accessibility audits of all 2,575 GB mainline rail stations have now been completed and quality assured. Work is ongoing to consider how to make the data available to the public and policy makers.

Railway Stations

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse has been of processes enacted by his Department following the issuing of mandates to train operating companies on station reform in 2023.

Huw Merriman: No estimate of these costs are available. Government had asked train operators to reduce the cost of the industry to the taxpayer given the challenging financial situation facing the railways; as well as ensure staff are deployed where they are most needed by passengers.

High Speed 2 Line: Euston Station

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 4 March 2021 to Question 158968 on High Speed 2 Line: Euston Station, what the total cost of the purchase of land and property for the development of London Euston station in connection with High Speed Two, Phase 1 is as of 7 November 2023.

Huw Merriman: With reference to the 73 cases south of Hampstead Road, the total cost as of 7th November, is £995,039,073 (inclusive of VAT where relevant). The Government remains committed to delivering HS2 to Euston and set out a new ambitious development-led approach in the Command Paper: Network North.

High Speed 2 Line

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date his Department informed (a) Network Rail Ltd, (b) First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Ltd, (c) Manchester Airport Holdings Ltd and (d) Birmingham Airport Ltd of its decision to cancel HS2 Phase (i) 2a and (ii) 2b routes.

Huw Merriman: On 4 October, the Prime Minister announced Network North – this Government’s transport investment vision to drive better connectivity across the North, the Midlands, and the country – and confirmed that the Government would not proceed with the construction of HS2 Phase 2a, Phase 2b Western Leg and HS2 East. Ministers and officials of the Department for Transport have engaged with relevant stakeholders to discuss the announcement and its implications.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed phase out dates for new non-zero emission L-Category vehicles on regulatory alignment with (a) the EU and (b) other markets.

Anthony Browne: The consultation on when to end the sale of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles (including mopeds and motorcycles) was open to responses from 14 July to 21 September 2022 and supported by a thorough programme of stakeholder engagement with stakeholders. The Department is now in the process of analysing the responses and will bring forward the Government’s response in due course.The Government will consult on any future regulatory framework to deliver and enforce the end of sale dates for new non-zero emission L-category vehicles as is appropriate. The Government keeps all its regulations under review to ensure that they are fit for purpose and futureproofed.The UK’s exit from the European Union has provided the opportunity for this country to develop its own regulatory approach to decarbonising its entire fleet of new road vehicles, which will help to support UK industry in the process. The proposed end of sales dates for motorcycles positions the UK as a world leader in decarbonisation, will drive innovation and create a market for zero emission L-category vehicles.The Government considers the greenhouse gas emissions of all sectors to ensure that it meet the UK’s legally binding net zero targets by 2050. The Government’s net zero commitment requires all sectors of the UK’s economy, including motorcycles, to deliver substantial cuts to emissions to end the UK’s contribution to climate change.

Motorcycles: Exhaust Emissions

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the phase out dates for new non-zero emission (a) mopeds and (b) motorcycles.

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the phase out dates for new non-zero emission L-Category vehicles on greenhouse gas emissions in each (a) region and (b) of the next ten years.

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the response by the Motorcycle Industry Association to the consultation entitled When to end the sale of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles, published in September 2022, whether he plans to undertake the readiness checks proposed by the Motorcycle Industry Association before the phasing out new non-zero emission L-Category vehicles.

Anthony Browne: The consultation on when to end the sale of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles (including mopeds and motorcycles) was open to responses from 14 July to 21 September 2022 and supported by a thorough programme of stakeholder engagement with stakeholders. The Department is now in the process of analysing the responses and will bring forward the Government’s response in due course.The Government will consult on any future regulatory framework to deliver and enforce the end of sale dates for new non-zero emission L-category vehicles as is appropriate. The Government keeps all its regulations under review to ensure that they are fit for purpose and futureproofed.The UK’s exit from the European Union has provided the opportunity for this country to develop its own regulatory approach to decarbonising its entire fleet of new road vehicles, which will help to support UK industry in the process. The proposed end of sales dates for motorcycles positions the UK as a world leader in decarbonisation, will drive innovation and create a market for zero emission L-category vehicles.The Government considers the greenhouse gas emissions of all sectors to ensure that it meet the UK’s legally binding net zero targets by 2050. The Government’s net zero commitment requires all sectors of the UK’s economy, including motorcycles, to deliver substantial cuts to emissions to end the UK’s contribution to climate change.

Electric Vehicles

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with his officials on the potential merits of introducing bespoke phase out dates for powered light vehicles following the extension of phase out for vans and cars announced on 20 September 2023.

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of granting a longer transition period for (a) manufacturers and (b) consumers to adapt to the phase out of new non zero emission L-category vehicles.

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Government's proposed phase out dates for new non zero emission mopeds and motorcycles on the level of (a) attractiveness for investment of the UK's L-category market and (b) consumer choice within that market.

Anthony Browne: The consultation on when to end the sale of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles (including mopeds and motorcycles) was open to responses from 14 July to 21 September 2022 and supported by a thorough programme of stakeholder engagement. The Department is now in the process of analysing the responses and will bring forward the Government’s response in due course.

Aviation: Standards

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with airline operators on improving (a) connectivity and (b) the reliability of air travel.

Anthony Browne: The Department for Transport is in frequent contact with airlines to discuss a range of issues relating to air transport – this includes through the Aviation Council, which meets regularly in person to bring together senior industry leaders and Ministers to discuss the key issues affecting the sector.

Ticket Offices: Reform

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department allocated to train operators for ticket office reform in the last 3 years.

Huw Merriman: No funding has been provided to train operators for ticket office reform in the last 3 years.

Restoring Your Railway Fund

Sarah Dyke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Restoring Your Railway Fund in reopening lines and stations.

Huw Merriman: The Restoring Your Railway (RYR) fund is levelling up the country by reconnecting people and communities. It has helped to deliver the Dartmoor line in November 2021, and Marsh Barton and Thanet Parkway stations in July 2023. It is also helping to deliver a number of schemes including the Northumberland line and the Metrowest 1b project which aims to connect Portishead to Bristol. The Network North announcement included commitments to progress a further 11 RYR bids, subject to successful business cases.

Restoring Your Railway Fund

Sarah Dyke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's target timeframe is for applicants to the Restoring Your Railway Fund to receive a response on the outcome of their Strategic Outline Business Case.

Huw Merriman: The timeframe for providing responses to schemes that have submitted applications to the Restoring Your Railway fund will vary. However, my Department will do everything possible to ensure that sponsors and promoters are provided with clear and timely information.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Ground Rent

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to page 46 of the Background notes to the King's Speech 2023, what his Department's planned timetable is for the consultation on capping existing ground rents.

Lee Rowley: The consultation launched on 9 November and will run for 6 weeks until 21 December.

Local Government: Annual Reports

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an estimate of the number of local authorities that haven't published their annual accounts for financial year 2022-23 as of 9 November 2023.

Simon Hoare: There is a statutory duty, under the Accounts and Audit Regulations (2015), for local authorities to publish audited accounts annually. The department does not hold this information centrally, but local authorities are required by law to make these accounts available for public inspection.

Private Rented Housing: Discrimination

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Renters (Reform) Bill on helping prevent discriminatory practices against people who are (a) older, (b) in receipt of Housing Benefit and (c) in receipt of other benefits in the private rented sector.

Jacob Young: We are committed to outlawing unacceptable discriminatory blanket ban practices against renters who receive benefits in the private rented sector – while ensuring that landlords retain the final say on who they let their property to.The Government tabled amendments to the Renters (Reform) Bill on 15 November to make it illegal for landlords and agents to have blanket bans on renting to people who receive benefits or who have children.

Landlords: Databases

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many entries have been made on the database of rogue landlords and property agents under the Housing and Planning Act 2016 in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London since that database was established.

Lee Rowley: Local authorities are responsible for making entries to the Rogue Landlord database; you may wish to contact Enfield Council to ask their current view on its use. Details of how the database works can be found in the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

Floods: Disaster Relief

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much financial support was provided under the Flood Recovery Framework in the first two weeks following Storm Babet.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Flood Recovery Framework for providing timely financial support to people affected by flooding.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the average time was between initial contact and first payment from the Flood Recovery Framework in the latest period for which data is available.

Jacob Young: I extend my sympathy to all those affected by the impacts of Storm Babet, flooding is a devastating experience for anyone. I also recognise the efforts of councils and emergency responders and thank them for their ongoing work in affected areas.The Secretary of State activated the Flood Recovery Framework on Wednesday 25 October. The activation of the Storm Babet Flood Recovery Framework will be reviewed following implementation by local authorities.   For the Storm Babet Flood Recovery Framework activation, eligible areas are those upper and lower tier authority areas:reporting over 50 internally flooded properties (any combination of households and businesses) at their Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) level; andwith properties flooded as a direct result of Storm Babet; andwith properties flooded between the dates of 19 October 2023 and 25 October 2023.Local Authorities and Lead Local Flood Authorities are responsible for distributing funding to affected people. They are able to do as soon as their area becomes eligible. Government funding for eligible properties will be paid to Local Authorities retrospectively, based on the certified cost of providing relief.

Investment Zones: Loughborough University

Jane Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) creating an Investment Zone at Charnwood Campus and Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park and (b) extending his plans for an Investment Zone for the proposed East Midlands Mayoral Combined County Authority to include Charnwood Campus and Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park.

Jacob Young: At the Spring Budget on 15 March 2023, the Chancellor announced 12 Investment Zones (IZs) across the UK. We have invited eight areas in England to co-develop proposals with the Government. We will keep the list of Investments Zones under review subject to the overall fiscal envelope of the programme.Places invited to co-develop an Investment Zone proposal with government have been selected based on a transparent and robust methodology, published in full on gov.uk. Further guidance on the co-development process was published in the Technical Document in July.Investment Zones are locally led and, recognising local leaders know their areas best, all stages of co-development has allowed flexibility and autonomy for each place to identify and select the best mix of interventions for their proposal - and where that funding is spent. Decision making regarding how and where to spend this envelope ultimately resides with the proposed East Midlands Mayoral Combined County Authority (EMMCCA).

Renters (Reform) Bill

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had discussions with the Leader of the House on the timetable for progressing the Renters (Reform) Bill.

Jacob Young: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

Private Rented Housing

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the number of private landlords that rented domestic properties between 2017 and 2022.

Jacob Young: Property rental income statistics, including the number of unincorporated landlords declaring income from rental property in the UK, can be accessed here.

Rented Housing: Older People

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help protect the rights of older renters through the Renters (Reform) Bill.

Jacob Young: Everybody has a right to a secure and decent home. The Renters (Reform) Bill increases protections for all renters, including older renters. Abolishing section 21 no fault evictions, reforming possession grounds and providing stronger protections against backdoor evictions, means older tenants will have much more security in the new system.

Attorney General

Sexual Offences: Gender

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Attorney General, which organisations the Crown Prosecution Service (a) met and (b) consulted as part of developing its consultation on proposed revisions to its legal guidance on sexual offences involving deception as to gender.

Michael Tomlinson: The Crown Prosecution Service is unable to supply details of organisations they consulted as part of the proposed revision of their legal guidance on 'Deception as to Gender' as the information requested is the subject of a Freedom Of Information request which is subject to ongoing legal proceedings.

Domestic Abuse

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Attorney General, which organisations the Crown Prosecution Service (a) met and (b) consulted when developing Annex D of its legal guidance on domestic abuse.

Michael Tomlinson: The information requested is subject to an open Freedom Of Information request to the Crown Prosecution Service, which they are considering in the normal way.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Sugar Beet

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support sugar beet growers.

Mark Spencer: The Government recognises the importance of sugar beet farmers and their vital contribution to UK sugar production. We are committed to promoting fairness across the food supply chain, with risk and reward being properly shared. We know that control of aphids and yellow virus, along with weather related problems - such as dry springs affecting crop establishment and wet conditions during the campaign harvests – can create issues for beet growers. Defra’s reach and engagement with the agri-food sector is extensive and well-established. This includes regular contact with producers and processors in the UK sugar industry which ensures a strong two-way dialogue at both a ministerial and official level. The UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group, launched in January 2021, also monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, and trade enabling it to provide forewarning of any atypical market movements. These allow Government to collect both data and industry intelligence on the agricultural sectors, including sugar, to understand any challenges being faced. We do not consider there is a case for support at this time but will keep the situation under review.

Hedgehogs: Nature Conservation

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the existence of hedgehogs through (a) local nature recovery strategies, (b) biodiversity net gain measures and (c) future farm subsidy payments.

Robbie Moore: The Environment Act 2021 introduced a number of policies that will support the restoration of habitat. Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) and a strengthened biodiversity duty on public authorities will work together to drive action, including to create or restore habitats that will enable wildlife, such as hedgehogs, to recover and thrive, while conservation covenants will help secure habitat for the long term. LNRSs will bring local authorities, communities, landowners and conservation groups together to agree priorities to help nature and protect locally and nationally important species. They will also map specific proposals for habitat creation and improvement such as woodland, heathland and species-rich grassland, all of which will benefit vulnerable species including hedgehogs. In addition, agri-environment schemes have provided a significant source of funding for habitat creation and management for threatened species. Our new environmental land management (ELM) schemes will provide farmers, foresters and other land managers with an opportunity to secure financial support in return for delivering environmental benefits. Hedgerows are an important habitat for hedgehogs and their food source. Actions to fund the creation, restoration and maintenance of hedgerows are available through the Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes.

Fireworks

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of fireworks on (a) domestic animals, (b) wild animals and (c) vulnerable people.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of fireworks on farms and farming.

Robbie Moore: The Government endorses the considerate use of fireworks. We believe that the majority of individuals who use fireworks do so in a responsible and safe manner. The Government takes the issues associated with the sale and use of fireworks seriously and we understand the concerns that some people have about the potential for distress to be caused by them. That is why there is a comprehensive regulatory framework in place for fireworks, that aims to reduce the risks and disturbances to both people and animals. It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause unnecessary suffering to animals covered by the Act, and this includes through the misuse of fireworks. Users of fireworks need to use them responsibly and be aware of animals close by, and those found guilty under the Act of causing animals unnecessary suffering can face up to five years’ imprisonment. Lower noise fireworks are commercially available to consumers to purchase if they wish to, potentially reducing distress to vulnerable groups and animals. Animal welfare organisations such as the RSPCA also provide pet owners with advice on how to look after their pets during fireworks: How To Keep Your Pets Safe During Fireworks | RSPCA.

Plastics: Health Hazards

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to establish an independent body to (a) identify and (b) monitor public health threats from (i) plastic and (ii) microplastic contamination.

Rebecca Pow: Defra has no plans to bring forward legislative proposals. Public health threats are the responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Cats and Dogs: Animal Breeding

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking tackle illegal puppy and kitten farms in the context of the withdrawal of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill.

Robbie Moore: The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill did not contain any measures to tackle illegal puppy or kitten farms directly. However, the Government is committed to delivering its manifesto commitment on puppy smuggling. We plan to take forward puppy smuggling measures as soon as parliamentary time allows. Regarding illegal puppy and kitten farms, we have taken significant steps to improve and update the laws on domestic cat and dog breeding to crack down on unscrupulous breeders who breed pets purely for financial greed at the expense of animal welfare.

Drinking Water: Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to prevent the presence of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water.

Rebecca Pow: Water companies (for public drinking water supplies) and local authorities (for private drinking water supplies) have statutory duties to carry out assessments, identifying risks to the quality of the water. They must sample the drinking water supply for any element, organism or substance which could pose a danger to human health. This includes the detection of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The Drinking Water Inspectorate has provided guidance on PFAS since 2007, which was updated in 2021. Work continues across government to assess levels of PFAS occurring in the environment, their sources and potential risks, to inform future policy and regulatory approaches to safeguard current high drinking water quality.

Fly-tipping: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the level of illegal waste disposal in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London in the last 12 months.

Rebecca Pow: In the last 12 months the Environment Agency (EA) has received six reports of illegal waste disposal in the London Borough of Enfield. There were three reports of small-scale burning which were all referred to the council, and where two addresses were identified as carrying out burning, letters were sent. There was one small-scale fly tipping incident in the N9 area which was also referred to Enfield Council due to the impact on the highways, and two major fly tipping incidents in the N11 and N18 areas. The EA currently has no outstanding investigations in the illegal disposal of waste in the Enfield area. The EA continues to work closely with internal and external stakeholders across London and the Southeast to initiate partnership solutions to the multi-faceted issues we deal with, often involving significant investigations of various strands to not only disrupt criminal activity but to hold to account those responsible. In addition, local authorities are required to report fly-tipping incidents and enforcement actions to Defra, which we publish annually here.

Plastics: Boilers and Water Supply

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to ban plastic materials in (a) boilers and (b) water tanks.

Rebecca Pow: The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 – which, in part, are designed to prevent contamination of drinking water supplies from water fittings – do not cover the design of boilers or hot water tanks, including the materials they are constructed from. If a consumer suspects that their drinking water is contaminated, they should contact their local water company who will investigate. If the cause of contamination is identified as occurring from plumbing inside the property, water companies will provide instructions to the consumer on remedial action to consider such as replacement or repair of the defective component. All plumbing inside a property is the responsibility of the property owner.

Livestock: Animal Housing

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to end the use of cages on farm animals.

Mark Spencer: We are firmly committed to maintaining our strong track record on animal welfare and to delivering continued improvements, in the course of this Parliament and beyond. We do not consider the time is right to consult on cage reforms, being mindful of the challenges the sectors are facing.The market is already driving the move away from using cages for laying hens with over 60% of eggs coming from free range production. The UK also has a significant outdoor pig sector with 40% of the national sow breeding herd farrowing freely on outdoor units with no option for confinement.We continue to work with the farming industry to maintain and enhance our high standards. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, part of our new domestic agricultural policy, supports farmers to produce healthier, higher welfare animals. The Government’s welfare priorities for the Pathway include supporting producers to transition away from confinement systems.

Food: Waste

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to increase food waste reporting.

Rebecca Pow: We are committed to tackling food waste, which is why we are taking action to increase the take up of the voluntary approach to reporting through the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap delivered by WRAP. This year more than £2 million will go to our food waste prevention programme, with action across the supply chain including working with trade associations and businesses to measure and report their food waste. We ask all businesses to sign up to the Roadmap and to ‘Target, Measure and Act’ on their food waste.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many sewage discharges there were by each water firm on days when no rain fell in 2022.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency is currently reviewing tens of millions of data from over 10,000 storm overflows for 2022. This involves modelling storm overflow discharge data, rainfall data and rainfall radar information across England. This will identify when spills from storm overflows have occurred on dry days, but further investigation is then required to establish what caused the spill and or whether or not there has been a breach of permit. This work will take several months to complete. Any breaches of permit identified will be considered for action under the Environment Agency’s Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Communication

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to the public purse was of her Department's total spend on communications for (a) 2023, (b) 2022, (c) 2021, (d) 2020 and (e) 2019.

Mark Spencer: The Department publishes its expenditure on publicity, marketing and promotion in the annual report and accounts. The expenditure is summarised in the table below. Financial YearCore Department and Agencies (£000)Defra Group (£000)2022-231,07318,0472021-2267514,8132020-211,15716,7012019-201,74019,8302018-191,75820,828

Flood Control

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 24 January 2023 to Question 123903 on Flood Control: Finance, how many properties have been protected by the Government's flood defence scheme since April 2021.

Rebecca Pow: The Government announced in March 2020 that the amount invested in flood and coastal erosion schemes would be doubled in England to £5.2 billion between 2021 and 2027 to better protect communities across England. Over 67,000 properties have already been better protected from flooding as part of this programme.

Flood Control: Finance

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 24 January 2023 to Question 123903 on Flood Control: Finance, what assessment her Department has made with the Environment Agency of the potential impact of inflation on the delivery of flood defence infrastructure programmes; and if she will publish that assessment.

Rebecca Pow: The Government is investing £5.2 billion in the 2021-2027 flood and coastal defence investment programme to better protect properties and communities across England. In April 2020, amendments were made to the Partnership Funding rules including updating payment rates to account for inflation. We regularly review the impact of inflation over the six-year programme. Higher than expected inflation has caused challenges to delivery of all infrastructure programmes, including the floods capital programme; for instance, costs for materials and contractor fees have increased. Many projects have a contingency in their budgets that can help, and some costs can be managed across the programme.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department last revised permit conditions for storm overflows.

Rebecca Pow: All discharges to the water environment, including storm overflows, require a permit to discharge issued by the Environment Agency under the Environmental Permitting Regulations. The permits contain the necessary conditions to regulate the discharge and limit the impact on the environment. These permit conditions are reviewed periodically to determine if they are still fit for purpose. The last change to the set of permit conditions used for storm overflows was the introduction in 2016 of a new condition for Event Duration Monitoring to be required on Storm Overflows. In August 2022, the Government published the Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan which introduces new requirements and targets for storm overflows. The Environment Agency is now reviewing the permit conditions used for storm overflows to ensure the requirements and targets in the plan are accounted for in the permit conditions. These new conditions will be introduced from 2025 as the plan is implemented by the water companies.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Wind Power: Manufacturing Industries

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she plans to take steps to ensure that (a) towers and (b) blades for offshore wind farms are manufactured in the UK.

Graham Stuart: The Government recognises that the development of a competitive and sustainable supply chain is crucial to its ambition to deliver up to 50GW of offshore wind by 2030, including up to 5GW of floating offshore wind. The Government is working with industry through the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) on priorities for supply chain development, with the aim of securing strategic investments for the offshore wind supply chain. The UK already has significant blade manufacturing facilities for offshore wind: Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy’s facility at Hull, and Vestas’ facility on the Isle of Wight.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help attract investment in offshore wind manufacturing.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero works closely with the Department for Business and Trade and other relevant Government departments to attract investment in offshore wind manufacturing. The UK remains an attractive market for offshore wind investment. SeAH Wind’s new monopile factory and JDR Cables’ subsea cable facility are expected to complete their construction and begin operations by the end of 2024. The Department is also delivering the Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme (FLOWMIS), worth up to £160 million, to support investment in the port infrastructure needed to deploy large-scale floating offshore wind turbines.

Home Upgrade Grant: Park Homes

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of insulating park homes under the phase two of the Home Update Grant.

Graham Stuart: £630m has been allocated to Local Authorities (LAs) for Phase 2 of the Home Upgrade Grant, which began in April 2023. So far around £1.5m has been released to LAs for 113 park homes. Under this Phase, up to 10% of the total homes improved by a LA may be park homes; LAs may spend up to £15,000, on average, to install energy efficiency or low carbon heating measures in park homes.

Energy Company Obligation: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking with energy companies to support the installation of energy efficiency measures through ECO4 in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Graham Stuart: The Government sets the overall target and rules for the delivery of the Energy Company Obligation but does not direct where measures are installed; that is left to the obligated energy suppliers and their installers.

Energy: Community Development

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to support community energy schemes in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Graham Stuart: The new £10m Community Energy Fund will enable rural and urban communities across England to access grant funding to develop local renewable energy projects, supporting local growth and enabling places to benefit directly from clean, locally owned energy. The Government will launch applications to the Fund as soon as possible and Community Energy Groups in London, including in the London Borough of Enfield and the Enfield North constituency, will be able to apply through the Greater South East Local Net Zero Hub.

Carbon Emissions

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment with the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the potential impact of trends in the level of inflation on the Government's net zero policies.

Graham Stuart: My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with my Rt hon Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer on a number of issues. The Government has robust monitoring in place across the net zero space and is supporting net zero businesses and investors. The Government monitors the impact of inflation to ensure that its legal commitments are met, while setting out a proportionate, pragmatic approach to delivering net zero that reduces the costs and burdens on British families.

Offshore Industry: Licensing

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has had discussions with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs on the potential impact of new offshore oil and gas licences on the UK’s ability to meet the 30x30 commitment under the Kunming-Montreal Agreement.

Graham Stuart: The UK is committed to the 30 by 30 global target under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The UK has a comprehensive legal framework of environmental protection measures for offshore oil and gas activities, and this will continue to apply to new licences. It covers the entire oil and gas life cycle, from the initial licence application to decommissioning activities.

Insulation: Park Homes

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will publish a best practice guide for park home insulation.

Graham Stuart: In addition to updating existing best practice guidance documents for insulation measures, the Department is working with industry to publish a best practice guide for park homes insulation. A date for publication of the park homes guide will be confirmed in due course.

Park Homes: Carbon Emissions

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an estimate of the average lifespan of a park home, in context of potential opportunities for carbon cost savings.

Graham Stuart: While an estimate has not been undertaken by the Government of the lifespan of park homes, the Government supports park home residents in the transition to net zero through the Homes Upgrade Grant, Energy Company Obligation and Great British Insulation Scheme.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Incentives

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the value was of non-cash vouchers awarded to staff working for her core Department as performance-related bonuses in 2022-23.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero did not exist as a separate department in 2022-23. It is not possible to split the value of the non-cash voucher awards from the rest of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The value of non-cash voucher awards for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in 2022-23 was £337,255.

Energy: Private Rented Housing

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department has taken to support people in the private rental sector to access retrofitting schemes.

Graham Stuart: The Government is spending £6bn this Parliament and a further £6bn to 2028 on making buildings cleaner and warmer. In addition, £5bn will be delivered through the Energy Company Obligation and the Great British Insulation Scheme up to March 2026. In September, the Government launched a new eligibility tool on its ‘Help for Households’ GOV.UK page to help people find the support available to them via the Home Upgrade Grant and the Great British Insulation Scheme.

Offshore Industry: Licensing

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department plans to take to monitor the environmental impact of oil and gas exploration in the period after licensing rounds increase in frequency.

Graham Stuart: The UK has a comprehensive legal framework of environmental protection measures for offshore oil and gas activities which will continue to apply. This covers the entire oil and gas life cycle, from the initial licence application to decommissioning activities. All activities that could impact the environment are subject to rigorous environmental assessment, and offshore activities are controlled through an environmental permitting process. There is also an inspection and enforcement regime in place to monitor compliance with the conditions included in environmental approvals.

Offshore Industry: Licensing

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential environmental impact of new offshore oil and gas licences on marine protected areas.

Graham Stuart: The UK has a comprehensive legal framework of environmental protection measures for offshore oil and gas activities, which will apply to new licences. It covers the entire oil and gas life cycle, from the initial licence application to decommissioning activities.

Offshore Industry: Licensing

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her Department’s policy is on managing the marine impacts of oil and gas licensing.

Graham Stuart: The mission of the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED) is to drive up the environmental performance of the offshore oil and gas industries, ensuring they minimise their impact on the environment and support the UK’s net zero transition.

Offshore Industry: Licensing

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the Government’s policy is on managing the marine impacts of oil and gas licensing.

Graham Stuart: The mission of the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED) is to drive up the environmental performance of the offshore oil and gas industries, ensuring they minimise their impact on the environment and support the UK’s net zero transition.

Offshore Industry: Licensing

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential impact of new offshore oil and gas licences on the UK’s ability to meet the 30x30 commitment under the Kunming-Montreal Agreement.

Graham Stuart: The UK is committed to the 30 by 30 global target under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The UK has a comprehensive legal framework of environmental protection measures for offshore oil and gas activities, and this will continue to apply to new licences. It covers the entire oil and gas life cycle, from the initial licence application to decommissioning activities.

Energy Bills Rebate

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to encourage more people to take up the Energy Support Scheme during winter 2023-24.

Amanda Solloway: The Energy Bills Support Scheme was a Government initiative to help 29 million households with energy bills over winter 2022/23. Eligible households received a £400 non-repayable Government discount. This scheme is now closed.

Energy: Housing

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure that people have access to (a) independent and (b) tailored advice when making decisions about retrofitting their homes to make them more energy efficient.

Graham Stuart: The ‘find ways to save energy in your home’ service was launched to offer tailored and independent recommendations for home improvement and retrofit. The Government also launched eligibility checkers for the Great British Insulation Scheme and Home Upgrade Grant: Phase 2 schemes, allowing eligible individuals to create a referral to either their Local Authority or Energy Supplier to take forward the home retrofit. These digital services are complemented by a national phoneline service. The Government is working on enhancing its independent and tailored advice services to provide a better user experience.

Heat Pumps

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the rate of adoption of heat pumps.

Graham Stuart: The Government has set an ambition of 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028 and is taking forward a range of measures to support it. This includes funding installations through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (with an increased grant of £7,500) and through our ‘Help to Heat’ capital schemes. The Government is also introducing regulatory measures, such as the Clean Heat Market Mechanism and the Future Homes Standard, investing up to £60 million in the Heat Pump Ready innovation programme to help overcome barriers to heat pump deployment and supporting training for installers through the £5m Heat Training Grant.

Energy: Housing

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department is taking steps to raise public awareness of (a) the availability of and (b) support for energy efficiency retrofitting measures for homes.

Graham Stuart: In October, the Government launched the new Welcome Home to Energy Efficiency public campaign that provides trusted information on energy efficiency measures, prompting people to identify and take first steps towards improvements. The campaign also promotes the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, the Great British Insulation Scheme and Home Upgrade Grant phase 2 eligibility checkers as well as the ‘Find Ways to Save Energy in Your Home’ service. The digital services are complemented by a national phoneline service.

Energy: Housing

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department has taken to lessen the upfront cost of retrofitting for (a) lower- and (b) middle-income households.

Graham Stuart: To support households with the upfront costs of retrofitting, the Government is investing £6.6 billion over this Parliament on clean heat and improving energy efficiency in buildings, and a further £6 billion of new Government funding will be made available from 2025 to 2028. In addition, the Energy Company Obligation and GB Insulation Scheme, worth £5 billion in total, offer free or highly subsidised retrofits to lower and middle-income households living in energy inefficient homes.

Carbon Emissions: Small Businesses

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help increase the uptake of local authority net zero schemes by small businesses in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Graham Stuart: The Government recognises that many small businesses across the UK are keen to tackle climate change but find it difficult to know how to start. The first step these businesses can take is to visit the UK Business Climate Hub. The Government has recently relaunched the content on the site, providing more up to date, practical and tailored advice on how to reduce emissions as well as signposting to additional resources. More widely, Government support for local authorities in delivering net zero is outlined in the Net Zero Strategy and Net Zero Growth Plan.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she is taking steps to encourage more people to take up the Warm Home Discount Scheme during winter 2023-24.

Amanda Solloway: We are currently writing to around 4.5 million households, informing people that either they will receive the discount automatically or, in some cases, advising them to call the helpline with further information to check eligibility. We are also working with consumer agencies, energy suppliers and other organisations to ensure accurate scheme information and to help them to raise awareness and advise their clients appropriately where they might benefit.

Energy: Debts

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of offering repayment matching to households that are unable to afford their energy bills.

Amanda Solloway: The Government understands the challenges that are posed by cost of living pressures that includes energy bills and the impact of debt. However, energy prices have fallen significantly with the price cap more than halving from £4,279 at the start of this year to £1,834 since the start of October. This coincides with the £900 cost of living payment being provided by the Government across 2023/24, which has increased from the £650 provided the previous year. The Government continues to closely monitor energy prices and will keep support schemes under review.

Energy Supply

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to improve public awareness of the Priority Services Register.

Amanda Solloway: There is regulation in place to promote awareness of the Priority Services Register (PSR). For example, condition 26 of Ofgem’s gas and electricity supply licence requires suppliers to take all reasonable steps to promote the existence of the PSR and identify consumers who are eligible for the PSR. Furthermore, Government supports the provision of information to consumers through Citizens Advice, who have a statutory duty to provide energy advice to consumers.

Home Upgrade Grant: Park Homes

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has issued guidance to park home residents on what steps to take when the cost of insulating their homes exceeds the £15,000 price cap under phase two of the Home Upgrade Grant.

Graham Stuart: The Department has not issued guidance as part of the Home Upgrade Grant to park home residents on steps to take when the cost of insulating their homes exceeds the £15,000 price cap. The Department has however issued guidance to Local Authorities (LAs) on what steps to take when the cost of insulating park homes exceeds the £15,000 cost cap which is an average across the stock being upgraded. LAs can build funding ‘headroom’ on park homes which do not require as much funding, due to fewer or less expensive measures. LAs are therefore able to spend more than £15,000 on individual park homes where they have built up the headroom to do so.

Home Upgrade Grant: Park Homes

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she plans to increase the £15,000 price cap for park home properties under phase two of the Home Upgrade Grant.

Graham Stuart: There are no current plans to increase the £15,000 price cap for park home properties in phase two of the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG). However, under HUG Local Authorities (LAs) may spend up to £15,000, on average, to install energy efficiency or low carbon heating measures in park homes. This means that LAs can spend less than £15,000 on park homes that need fewer measures, and more than £15,000 on those park homes that need more extensive work – so long as the average cost across the stock being upgraded is £15,000 or less.

Energy Supply

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to increase public awareness of the Priority Services Register.

Amanda Solloway: There is regulation in place to promote awareness of the Priority Services Register (PSR) For example, condition 26 of Ofgem’s gas and electricity supply licence requires suppliers to take all reasonable steps to promote the existence of the PSR and identify consumers who are eligible for the PSR. Furthermore, Government supports the provision of information to consumers through Citizens Advice, who have a statutory duty to provide energy advice to consumers.

Treasury

Banks: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of closures of (a) bank branches and (b) free-to-use ATMs in (i) Enfield North constituency, (ii) the London Borough of Enfield and (iii) London in each of the last three years.

Bim Afolami: While the government does not make direct assessments of branch or ATM networks, it believes that all customers, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking and cash services. According to LINK there are 76 LINK cash access points, including 55 free-to-use ATMs, in Enfield North constituency. The government legislated through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to establish a new legislative framework to protect access to cash. This establishes the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash and provides it with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities across the UK, including free withdrawal and deposit facilities in relation to personal current accounts. Decisions on opening and closing branches and ATMs are a commercial issue, and the government does not intervene in these. However, under FCA guidance, firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on the everyday banking and cash access needs of their customers and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This seeks to ensure that the implementation of closure decisions is undertaken in a way that treats customers fairly. Alternative options for access to banking can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking, and the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows 99% of personal banking and 95% of business banking customers to deposit cheques, check their balance and withdraw and deposit cash at 11,500 Post Office branches in the UK.

Cleaning Services: Business Rates

Derek Thomas: To ask the Chancellor for the Exchequer, for what reason commercial laundries are excluded from retail, hospitality and leisure relief from business rates.

Nigel Huddleston: Business rates are administered by local government and it is for local authorities to determine eligibility for reliefs, having regard to guidance issued by the Government. Guidance setting out eligibility for the 2023-24 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief was published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/business-rates-relief-202324-retail-hospitality-and-leisure-scheme-local-authority-guidance

Beer and Cider: Excise Duties

Claire Hanna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will reduce the duty rate for draught beer and cider.

Gareth Davies: The Government is unable to speculate on tax matters outside of fiscal events. As with all taxes, the Government keeps the alcohol duty system under review during its yearly Budget process.

Aviation: Fuels

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of utilising UK Emissions Trading Scheme revenues from aviation to fund UK-based sustainable aviation fuel production.

Gareth Davies: Widespread hypothecation of tax revenues can undermine the government’s ability to flexibly manage the public finances. Receipts from the ETS are used to fund the Net Zero transition, and public services more broadly, across the UK. The UK’s SAF programme is one of the most comprehensive in the world. We are stimulating demand through our ambitious SAF mandate and are continuing to invest in domestic production to boost domestic supply and help to overcome the investment barrier of proving the technology at commercial scale.

Development Aid

Emma Hardy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to raisethe Official Development Assistance budget to 0.7% of Gross National Income​​​​​​​.

Laura Trott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 13 June 2023 to Question 188649. [https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-06-08/188649].

VAT: Tax Thresholds

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of raising the VAT registration threshold to £250,000.

Nigel Huddleston: Views on the VAT registration threshold are divided and the case for change has been regularly reviewed over the years.In 2018, the Government consulted on how the design of the VAT registration threshold could better incentivise growth. However, there was no clear option for reform.While the Government keeps all taxes under review, it was announced at Autumn Budget 2022 that the VAT threshold will be maintained at its current level of £85,000 until 31 March 2026.

National Insurance Contributions

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people who have paid voluntary National Insurance contributions for one or more years are waiting to have those contributions credited to their National Insurance record; what the average waiting time is between paying voluntary National Insurance contributions and having them credited to a National Insurance record; and when he expects individuals to be able to view such contributions online.

Nigel Huddleston: Information on how many people have paid voluntary National Insurance contributions for one or more years and are waiting to have those contributions credited to their National Insurance record is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The average waiting time between a customer paying National Insurance contributions and having them credited to a National Insurance record is currently 12 working days, Class 3 allocations are currently being prioritised due to the Class 3 payment extension announcement. Payments should show on customer records within 8 weeks of when a customer calls the NI helpline. If a customer makes a payment of voluntary National Insurance Contributions, the payment will automatically allocate into their National Insurance record when the money is cleared by HMRC’s banking system. It normally takes a day to then be visible for the customer to view. However, this could take up to 8 week if there is any kind of discrepancy that causes a rejection that requires further investigation.

Sanitary Protection: VAT

Patrick Grady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of removing VAT on period pants.

Nigel Huddleston: The women’s sanitary products VAT zero rate applies to those products which were previously subject to the reduced rate of 5 per cent, for example, tampons and pads. It also applies to reusable menstrual products, such as menstrual cups, to provide greater choice and more sustainable options for those who use sanitary products. The Government is looking into whether this important zero-rating is being passed on to consumers. The relief does not include articles of clothing, such as period underwear. Such exclusions are designed to ensure that the relief is properly targeted. The Government keeps all taxes under review, including considering impacts on pricing, and welcomes representations to help inform future policy decisions.

Business Rates

Dehenna Davison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what business rates will be in each of the next five years.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government froze the business rates multiplier for a third consecutive year in 2023-24, a tax cut worth £9.3 billion to business over the next 5 years. Overall, the Government has taken action to hold the tax rate steady, protecting businesses from inflationary pressures over the last three years at a cost of £14.5 billion to the Exchequer. Decisions on future business rates support will be made in due course.

Business Rates: Tax Allowances

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to extend the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Rates Relief Scheme beyond the current deadline.

Nigel Huddleston: At Autumn Statement 2022 the Government announced an increased 75% relief for retail, hospitality and leisure properties, up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business for 2023-24. This is a tax cut worth over £2 billion for around 230,000 RHL businesses, to support the high street and protect small shops. Decisions on future business rates support will be made in due course.

Child Benefit: Apprentices

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending child benefit to families with children aged under 19 enrolled on apprenticeships.

Laura Trott: The Government is not considering extending Child Benefit payments to parents of children aged under 19 enrolled on apprenticeships. Child Benefit is payable to parents of children up to the age of 16. Between the ages of 16 and 20, it is payable in respect of young people who remain in full-time non-advanced education or approved training provided outside a contract of employment. This includes A-Levels or the equivalent, but not advanced courses such as university degrees. One of the core principles of an apprenticeship is that it is a paid job with training, allowing apprentices to earn while they learn, and it is treated accordingly in the benefit system. It is therefore appropriate that payments for the young person cease from this point. For waged apprenticeships, since April 2023 employers are required to pay a minimum wage of £5.28 an hour, and many tend to pay more as young people develop their skills. A young person working 35 hours a week on a waged apprenticeship should earn no less than £184.80 each week.

Income Tax: Exemptions

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many companies used the Section 317 exemption of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 in the latest period for which data is available.

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the Section 317 exemption of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 to include (a) local restaurants and (b) other businesses in close proximity to company premises.

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has issued recent guidance on the use of subsidised meal schemes by (a) home and (b) other remote workers.

Nigel Huddleston: HMRC publishes online guidance on the use of subsidised meal schemes by (a) home and (b) other remote workers. HMRC has not issued any new guidance recently. The use of local restaurants and other catering businesses is covered by the current subsided meals exemption provided the conditions are met, such asthe meals are provided in the restaurant or dining room of a hotel or a catering or similar business at a time when meals are being served to the publicpart of the restaurant or dinning room is designated for the use of the employees only, andthe meals are taken in that part. Information about how many companies use the exemption is not collected. The provision of these benefits is not subject to Income Tax or National Insurance contributions and therefore there is nothing for employers to report to HMRC.

Department for Work and Pensions

Workplace Pensions

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing an opt-out option for members of pension schemes with safeguarded benefits who are required to take advice under section 48 of the Pension Schemes Act 2015.

Paul Maynard: The overarching objective of the advice requirement is to ensure that members understand the financial implications of transferring to a scheme with flexible benefits. The process enables a clear view of the choices available to the individual and the longer term risks attached to accessing flexible benefits. The government has to consider the needs of all pension savers regardless of their individual circumstances and it believes that enabling members to make informed investment decisions will yield greater long term financial stability for the individual. It is not therefore policy to introduce an opt out option to this part of the transfer process. In forming this view, DWP has engaged with pensions industry bodies, the regulators and consumer groups to review The Pension Schemes Act 2015 (Transitional Provisions and Appropriate Independent Advice) Regulations 2017. The review considered how the advice requirement is working in practice and if there are any unintended consequences. A report of the review was published in June 2023 and is available on gov.uk. Whilst the report concluded that the existing measures remain appropriate and effective, the department will continue to work closely with HMT and FCA to consider changes to the regulations that will improve the transfer process whilst ensuring that members continue to receive an appropriate level of protection and support.

Household Support Fund

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to (a) provide a multi-year funding settlement for the Household Support Fund beyond March 2024 and (b) publish a long-term strategy for local crisis support in England; and if he will make a statement.

Mims Davies: The Household Support Fund currently runs to March 2024. As with all policies, this is kept under continuous review and any extension will be a matter for the Treasury. DWP has no current plans to publish a long-term strategy for local welfare assistance. Local authorities in England are funded through the local government finance settlement, from the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities, to deliver local welfare provision using their existing powers.

Jobcentre Plus

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of Jobcentre plus offering employment support to unemployed individuals that are not in receipt of out-of-work benefits.

Jo Churchill: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for getting people into work and making work pay. We are driving forward significant recruitment to deliver on our Labour Market programmes to get more people off benefits and into work, which is fair stewardship of taxpayers money. At Spring Budget, we introduced a range of measures providing extra support for people to move into work and progress into better-paid jobs, particularly disabled people and those with long-term health conditions, parents, over-50s, unemployed people and people on Universal Credit and working fewer than full-time hours. Along with increased employment support, this includes increased expectations for lead carers of children on Universal Credit, as well as increasing the AET.

Young People: Employment

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the Youth Employment Group's report entitled Young Person's Guarantee published 27 September 2023.

Mims Davies: We acknowledge the Youth Employment Group’s report calling for the Government to adopt a Young Person’s Guarantee and note the five recommended policy proposals. The Government is committed to delivering targeted support for all young people, no matter what their start in life or the challenges they face, to give them the best chance of getting into work. Within DWP, the Youth Offer provides individually tailored work coach support to young people aged 16-24 who are on the Universal Credit and searching for work. We have recently expanded Youth Offer support to enable more young people on Universal Credit to see a work coach in a Youth Hub or to benefit from the expertise of our Youth Employability Coaches. By extending the Youth Offer to other Universal Credit claimants we are helping more young people not in education, employment or training who claim Universal Credit to access this essential support. Some Youth Hubs will also offer a drop-in facility where these young people who do not have a UC claim will be able to access support. Lastly, we recognise that ensuring young people have the most appropriate support, education or training to enable them to enter sustained employment and progress in their careers requires a cross-government approach. In partnership with DfE and DCMS, we have established a new cross Government Forum on Youth Skills for Life and Work. The forum provides an opportunity for departments to identify and act on opportunities to work closer together on crosscutting youth issues and to equip young people with the skills for life and work that they will need to fulfil their potential and drive growth for the country.

Department for Work and Pensions: Civil Servants

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Cabinet Office statistics on Permanent and temporary civil servants by sex, age band and department: 2023, published on 31 October 2023, how many permanent civil servants excluding agencies worked for his Department on 31 March (a) 2011, (b) 2016 and (c) 2020.

Paul Maynard: The Department for Work and Pensions reports its data annually to the Office for National Statistics which is in the public domain and can be found here: (a) March 2020, table 8 (b) March 2016, table 8 (c) March 2011, table 8

Redundancy: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support people who have been made redundant to (a) access training and skills support and (b) find suitable alternative employment in (i) Enfield North constituency, (ii) the London Borough of Enfield and (iii) London.

Jo Churchill: The Department for Work and Pensions stands ready to support anyone affected by redundancy with our Rapid Response Service offer. This is a service designed to give support and advice to employers and their employees when faced with redundancy. This service is co-ordinated nationally by the National Employer and Partnership Team and is managed by Jobcentre Plus. Delivery partners include The National Careers Service, local training providers, Money Helper and the skills bodies in England. The Rapid Response Service offer is flexible and can include a range of options (see below) that can be pulled together into an appropriate support package. This package will be tailored to meet the needs of the employer, the individuals affected and the local community. The range of support available from Jobcentre Plus and partners may include: Help with job search including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them.Connecting people to jobs in the labour marketHelp to identify transferable skills and skills gaps (linked to the local labour market).What benefits they may get and how to claim.

Restart Scheme

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the first quarterly Customer Satisfaction Measure survey of the Restart Scheme.

Jo Churchill: The Customer Satisfaction Measure (CSM) results of the Restart Scheme are not currently published; however, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) retains the right to do so in the future.

Restart Scheme

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to use the findings of the customer satisfaction measure survey of the Restart Scheme to improve the (a) experience and (b) outcomes of participants with a health condition.

Jo Churchill: Department for Work and Pensions review the findings from the Restart Scheme customer satisfaction surveys quarterly and identify key themes or feedback and share these with providers, to improve performance. If any specific issues are identified, DWP works with the relevant parties to address these at Contract Package Area or national level. Any participants with a health condition receive a tailored action plan which takes into consideration their individual needs. However, DWP has not received any feedback specific to this claimant group.

Job Centres

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of his Department's employment data lab on the effectiveness of (a) jobcentres and (b) existing employment services.

Jo Churchill: No formal assessment has been made of the impact of the Employment Data Lab service on the effectiveness of either jobcentres or existing employment services.

Social Security Benefits: Deductions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been subject to (a) benefit deductions and (b) sanctions at the same time in each of the last 12 months.

Jo Churchill: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Sanctions are only ever applied if a claimant has failed to undertake their agreed requirements without good reason. All requirements are set in discussion with the claimant and tailored to their capability and circumstances, making them realistic and achievable. If a claimant currently has a sanction in place, any outstanding deductions cannot be applied until the sanction has concluded. We have a well-established system of hardship payments, available as a safeguard if a claimant demonstrates that they cannot meet their immediate and most essential needs, including accommodation, heating, food and hygiene, as a result of their sanction.

Universal Credit: Work Capability Assessment

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people on Universal Credit have been sanctioned while awaiting a work capability assessment; and of those, how many have been subsequently assessed as having (a) limited capability for work and (b) limited capability for work related activity in each of the last 12 months for which data is available; and if he will make it his policy not to subject people awaiting (i) a work capability assessment and (ii) the outcome of work capability assessment to conditionality.

Jo Churchill: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Conditionality supported by sanctions has been a longstanding feature of welfare benefit entitlements in the UK since the formation of the welfare state. Access to earnings replacement benefits, for example, is traditionally conditional on recipients being involuntarily unemployed and subject to reasonable work-related requirements. We will not expect a claimant to take up a job while they have suitable medical evidence, until the outcome of a Work Capability Assessment (WCA). Any work-related requirements are agreed in discussion between the work coach and claimant. These should always be tailored to reflect the impact of the claimant’s health condition, disability, and wider circumstances, ensuring they are realistic and achievable We exempt people with more serious medical conditions and disabilities, and those who are terminally ill, from any form of conditionality and sanctions. This includes those who have been found to have Limited Capability for Work or Work-Related Activity following their WCA. In particular circumstances, work coaches can exempt claimants from usual availability and work search requirements for a temporary period by applying discretionary or compulsory easements. These circumstances include temporary periods of sickness.

Universal Credit: Deductions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in receipt of Universal Credit faced a (a) lowest, (b) low, (c) medium and (d) highest level sanction concurrently with deductions to their Standard Allowance of (i) up to five per cent, (ii) between six and 10 per cent, (iii) between 11 and 15 per cent, (iv) between 16 and 20 per cent, (v) between 21 and 25 per cent and (vi) more than 25 per cent in each of the last 12 months.

Jo Churchill: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Claimants must meet certain requirements to receive their UC payment. These will be based on individual and household information and will take account of health, earnings, caring responsibilities, alongside any ongoing work or volunteering. All requirements are set in discussion with the claimant and tailored to their capability and circumstances, making them realistic and achievable.

Parliamentary Questions: Costs

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how his Department estimates the cost of answering Parliamentary Questions.

Paul Maynard: There is no formal methodology – each Written Parliamentary Question is judged on its own merits, including whether a response can reasonably be provided within the cost limit. The department follows the guidance produced by the Cabinet Office in the following documents: Guide to Parliamentary Work2022-10-11 - Guide to Parliamentary Work (publishing.service.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)Guidance on drafting answers to Parliamentary Questions:drafting-pq-responses.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Department for Work and Pensions: Pay

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether levels of pay for administrative staff in his Department at (a) AA, (b) AO and (c) EO grades are (i) below, (ii) equivalent to or (iii) higher than the Living Wage Foundation's real living wage.

Paul Maynard: The following is based on the UK’s real living wage rates of £12.00 per hour and £13.15 per hour for London as of 14 November 2023. Pay levels for DWP administrative staff are as follows:a) All AA employees in Inner London are below the London rate.b) Some AO employees on Legacy Terms and Conditions in Inner London are below the London rate. All other AO employees are above these rates.c) All EO employees are above these rates. This Government is committed to paying people a decent living wage, which is being addressed through the statutory National Living Wage. The real living wage is not a statutory requirement unlike the National Living Wage, which applies to those aged 23 and over. From 1 April 2023, the National Living Wage increased to £10.42 an hour. All DWP employees are paid above this rate.

Housing Benefit

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of housing benefit.

Mims Davies: We are forecast to spend £31 billion in 2023/24 on housing support. Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates were boosted by almost £1 billion in 2020, this significant investment has been kept annually to maintain rates at 2020 levels. The level of LHA rates is reviewed annually by the Secretary of State. LHA rates are not intended to cover all rents in all areas. However, the Department monitors average rents and housing support levels provided to claimants to assess the impact of the policy. For those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs and need further support. Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. Since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.7 billion in DHP funding to local authorities

Universal Credit: Care Leavers

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data his Department holds on the number of care leavers aged between 17 and 21 who received Universal Credit in each of the last five years in (a) Knowsley and (b) England.

Mims Davies: The information requested is not available. DWP started routinely collecting data on care leavers claiming UC in February 2022. All new claimants are now given the option of reporting their care leaver status, and Work Coaches can record existing claimants’ care leaver status if they are they are told about this. This data is being monitored for data quality and does not yet meet the quality assurance standards for official statistics: the data coverage is still very limited and the claimants we have data on are not representative of the UC caseload. Therefore, no figures are available.

Artificial Intelligence

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of AI on the functioning of the welfare system.

Paul Maynard: DWP is continually exploring the use of all types of Artificial Intelligence and its potential to support the provision of more digital services with a human touch in a safe, ethical, and considered way. Artificial Intelligence will never replace the role of our colleagues in supporting customers throughout their journey.We are using Artificial Intelligence to undertake administrative or repetitive tasks, freeing up our colleagues to spend more time with claimants.As part of our approach, and in-line with the Prime Minister’s Foundation Model Taskforce, DWP has created a Generative Artificial Intelligence Lighthouse Programme which will safely guide our innovation in emerging Artificial Intelligence technology. The role of this programme is to ‘test and learn’ in a safe and governed environment where all types of AI can be used to assist us in the delivery of our customer outcomes and department efficiencies. Following this test and learn approach will help us to build more certainty on the potential benefits that can be realised.Where Artificial Intelligence is used to assist its activities in prevention and detection of fraud within UC applications, DWP always ensures appropriate safeguards are in place for the proportionate, ethical, and legal use of data with internal monitoring protocols adhered to. Through the work of departmental governance, we can always explain how the AI reaches conclusions using data.DWP does not use AI to replace human judgement in determining or denying a payment to a claimant. Where appropriate, Equality and Data Protection Impact Assessments have been carried out.DWP's Personal Information Charter explains how and why we use personal information and citizen’s rights and responsibilities.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Football: Women

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress her Department has made on responding to the report entitled Raising the bar: reframing the opportunity in women's football, published on 13 July 2023.

Stuart Andrew: The Independent Review of Women’s Football, published earlier this year, made ten strategic recommendations which would lift minimum standards of women’s football, delivering bold and sustainable growth at elite and grassroots levels. The Government is due to publish its response to the Review before the end of the year.

Newspaper Press: Ownership

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's press release of 30 October 2023 entitled New plans to promote media freedom and protect journalists, whether her Department has plans to take steps to scrutinise (a) foreign (i) entities and (ii) individuals who may seek to gain control or significant influence over UK newspapers and (b) the potential impact of that on journalistic independence.

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has sought advice on the legal viability of issuing a Public Interest Intervention Notice in relation to a debt transaction that could transfer (a) control and (b) material influence over a UK newspaper to a foreign (i) entity and (ii) individual.

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to ensure transparency in debt financing transactions that may potentially grant a foreign entity or individual material influence over a newspaper.

Sir John Whittingdale: Under the Enterprise Act 2002, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has jurisdiction to intervene in a transaction involving a media company if they have reasonable grounds for suspecting that the transaction is or may amount to a ‘relevant merger situation’. A relevant merger situation is where two or more entities cease to be distinct, and at least one of the statutory thresholds around turnover and/or market share is met.Where jurisdiction is established, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has discretion to intervene if they believe that it is or may be the case that one or more public interest considerations outlined under Section 58 of the Enterprise Act 2002 is relevant.For transactions involving newspapers, these public interest considerations are: the need for accurate presentation of news; the need for free expression of opinion; and the need, in relation to every different audience in the United Kingdom or in a particular area or locality of the United Kingdom, for there to be a sufficient plurality of persons with control of the media enterprises serving that audience.Further details of the process and grounds for intervention are set out in the Enterprise Act 2002 here.

Swimming Pools: Grants

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) applications were submitted to and (b) grants were awarded during the first phase of the swimming pool support fund.

Stuart Andrew: Phase I of the Swimming Pool Support Fund was oversubscribed, with the Government receiving applications from 221 Local Authorities, on behalf of 630 facilities. After assessment against a range of criteria to target pools most at risk of closure, awards were made to 103 Local Authorities, covering 196 facilities. The full list of awards made can be found on the Sport England website here.An additional £40 million of capital funding will be provided in Phase II, which will support local authorities to make their facilities more energy efficient and reduce future operating costs. Applications were open to local authorities from 7 September to 16 October, and are now being assessed. Awards for this phase of the fund will be announced in due course.

Local Broadcasting: Rural Areas

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what proportion of households in rural communities have full access to (a) television and (b) local radio services.

Sir John Whittingdale: Freeview currently reaches nearly 99% of UK households. However, good terrestrial television signals may not be available to all households in rural areas due to a number of factors including local topography and spectrum availability. In these cases, Everyone TV – the organisation responsible for the day-to-day running of Freeview – advises that viewers consider other options to access free-to-air television such as the satellite service Freesat, which provides near total coverage in the UK.Details of local radio coverage provided have been published by Ofcom in May 2022 and are available here.More detailed data on the usage of free-to-air radio and TV is available from a variety of sources. For example, Ofcom produces its Media Nations report which reviews key trends in the media sector and sets out how audiences are served across the UK. The most recent report was published in August 2023 and can be found here. Ofcom also publishes the results of a number of annual surveys addressing these issues, as well as an interactive data set in the form of its annual Communications Market Report. Many of these publications include relevant analysis broken down by geographic area.

Ministry of Justice

Legal Aid Scheme

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what is the annual (a) cost of the Legal Aid Agency’s audit and compliance activities and (b) value of the funds recovered from legal aid providers as a result of the  Legal Aid Agency’s audit and compliance activity.

Mike Freer: Information relating to element (a) of the question is not centrally held. The cost of time spent, and expenditure associated with audit and compliance functions is not specifically tracked or recorded by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA). Staff engaged in audit and compliance activity may not exclusively be engaged in these functions and as such it is not possible to reliably calculate an estimate of costs based on staff salaries. The LAA estimates that in the financial year 2022-2023 it recovered £4.56 million as a result of audit and compliance activities. This is based on audit and compliance activity relating to Controlled Work, Crime Lower including police station attendance and duty solicitor advice and Prison Law claims which are typically paid prior to review by the LAA. For Civil Representation and Crime Higher the LAA has robust assessment processes in place which form part of the billing processes rather than audit and compliance activity. Other recoveries can be made as a result of routine case management processes such as quality control procedures, which the LAA would not classify as distinct audit or compliance activity. In the same period the LAA processed over 1.7 million claims totalling £1.83 billion pounds. Audit and compliance activity does not solely lead to financial recoveries. This activity also helps to improve providers’ understanding of and compliance with contracts and legal aid legislation, supports identification of process improvement opportunities, and provides confidence in the positive performance of providers.

Legal Aid Scheme

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what is the annual cost for the Legal Aid Agency to process escape fee claims; what proportion of escape fee claims are rejected; and what the value to the Legal Aid fund of rejected escape fee claims was in each of the last three years.

Mike Freer: The term ‘escape fee claim’ is used in connection with various types of legal aid work which is funded by way of fixed or standard fee, where the legislation in place allows a claim at hourly rates to be made in circumstances where the actual cost of work done escapes a set threshold. There are various types of escape fee claims. In this context we have interpreted your request as pertaining to civil Controlled Work claims billed using an EC-CLAIM1 and to crime claims billed used a CRM-18 or CRM-18a as these are explicitly described as being escape fee claims. Information relating to the annual cost of processing escape fee claims is not centrally held. The unit cost of processing an escape fee claim is not specifically tracked or recorded by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA), nor is the administrative spend on processing escape fee claims recorded separately to general legal aid administrative spend. Staff engaged in the assessment and payment of escape fee claims may not exclusively be engaged in these functions and as such it is not possible to calculate an estimate of costs based on staff salaries. For civil escape fee claims the proportion of escape fee claims that were rejected in each of the last three years is set out in the table below:20202021202216.72%15.47%13.2% Please note that the above figures are based on Management Information manually collated by the LAA. Although every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete, it is important to note that the data has been extracted from data sets which require a degree of manual input. As a consequence, the data can change over time and care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when data is used.No criminal escape fee claims have been rejected in the last three years.Information relating to the value to the legal aid fund of rejected claims is not centrally held. Claims are rejected in instances where there is some inaccuracy in the bill or where information or supporting documents are required. Claims are returned to the legal aid provider who will make the necessary amendments or supply any additional information so that these may be re-submitted to the LAA for payment.

Legal Aid Scheme

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what is the (a) annual cost to the public purse for the Legal Aid Agency to process applications for exceptional case funding and (b) value of exceptional case funding claims that have been (i) granted and (ii) denied in the each of the last three years.

Mike Freer: The information requested is not held centrally. The unit cost of processing an application is not specifically tracked or recorded by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA), nor is the administrative spend on Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) recorded separately to general legal aid administrative spend. Details about volumes of ECF applications, broken down by category, for every year since 2013 can be found in legal aid statistics published by the Ministry of Justice [see tables 8.1 and 8.2]: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-april-to-june-2023 Legal Aid Expenditure is tracked by the form of service it is provided under i.e. whether it is advice and assistance provided under Legal Help or Controlled Legal Representation or representation in proceedings provided as Civil Representation. ECF can be provided under either form of service. These costs are paid via a number of different billing platforms, not all of which have the functionality to isolate ECF costs from other civil costs. It is therefore not possible to disaggregate the value of ECF cases from the value of other civil in-scope cases. Expenditure under the ECF scheme therefore forms part of the overall civil legal aid expenditure as detailed in tables 5.3 and 6.5 of the published legal aid statistics https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-april-to-june-2023. The LAA would not hold any information regarding the value of claims where it has refused an application for funding under ECF. The value of the claim would only be apparent at the conclusion of the case after a bill was submitted to the Legal Aid Agency. If legal aid under ECF is not granted, no bill is submitted.

Sentencing: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make a comparative assessment of the use of (a) imprisonment and (b) community-based alternatives by (i) Welsh and (ii) European courts.

Mike Freer: Criminal justice systems in other countries, including Europe, vary. Comparing the rates of imprisonment and community-based alternatives by Welsh courts compared to European equivalents would be unlikely to be directly comparable. When developing criminal justice policy, the Ministry of Justice considers international examples and practice where appropriate.

Confiscation Orders

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what was the total amount of impairment from confiscation orders in each year since 2013.

Mike Freer: Confiscation orders are the principal means by which the government carries out its policy to deprive criminals of the proceeds of their crime. They are used with the intent to disrupt and deter criminality. Confiscation orders are not punitive in nature but are designed to require the defendant to pay back the proceeds of their crime and to thus deprive them of the benefit of their crime.A confiscation order is issued against an individual after they have been convicted of an offence, ordering them to pay back the amount that the court has determined they had benefited from their crime. The confiscation order name is a misnomer as nothing is confiscated. The court will determine the amount of the benefit received based upon the relevant criminal conduct. In determining the benefit amount the court can take into consideration all the financial assets of the defendant including gifts, “hidden assets” and the “criminal lifestyle” of the defendant. By including the value of assets such as those classed as “hidden” or “gifts”, the aim of the court is to effectively deprive the defendant of their use and take them out of circulation. The court will then determine the available amount which may be less than the benefit amount. The court may allow a limited time for the confiscation order to be paid, in the event of non-payment the outstanding balance on the order will begin to accrue interest at a rate of 8% per annum, with interest continuing to accrue until the order balance is paid in full. In addition, the defendant will be required to serve a default prison sentence for non-payment, the serving of the prison sentence does not reduce the amount of the confiscation order that is due to be paid nor does it stop interest accruing.The impairment charge, as reported annually in the HMCTS Trust Statement, is an accounting estimate of the outstanding impositions which has been assessed as theoretically unrecoverable. The charge reduces the value of the overall debt to an amount that HMCTS has estimated, for accounting purposes only, to be recoverable and ensures that the Financial Statements do not value the debt at more than is potentially collectable.The impairment charge and resulting net book value figure are solely accounting estimates and do not reflect the value of the impositions that is being enforced by HMCTS and the other Agencies, such as the Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office. All the agencies associated with the enforcement of confiscation orders continue to enforce the full value of the impositions imposed by the Court.Financial YearGross Balance of confiscation orders outstanding at the end of the financial year £000Impairment Charge Balance at start of financial year £000Impairment charge for the year £000Net book value of the Confiscation orders at end of the financial year £0002022-232,510,5322,292,08286,397132,0532021-222,438,1052,210,15881,924146,0232020-212,353,4552,060,430149,728143,2972019-202,224,9521,904,113156,317164,5222018-192,065,3031,808,98795,126161,1902017-181,961,2781,686,262122,725152,2912016-171,814,8181,570,973115,289128,5562015-161,761,4491,370,761200,212190,4762014-151,573,7651,280,89289,869203,0042013-141,491,2231,211,215107,213172,795

Ministry of Justice: Incentives

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 6 December 2022 to Question 97592, how much of the £4,876,693 spent by his Department on performance bonus vouchers in 2021-22 was awarded to staff categorised in his Department's Workforce Management Information reports for that year as part of the headcount for his core ministerial department.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 16 October to Question 200250, how much of the £5,860,748 was spent on vouchers awarded to staff categorised in his Department's Workforce Management Information reports for 2022-23 as part of the headcount for his core ministerial department.

Mike Freer: The original response for PQ 203779 mistakenly said that for the financial Year 2022-23, a total of £425,551 was made to the core ministerial department staff but upon review a total of £684,976 was made to the core ministerial department staff (which equates to a workforce of 7,221 as at June 2023). To confirm, for the Financial Year 2021-22, a total of £772,519 was made to the core ministerial department staff. Of the £4,876,693 spent, the total amount of performance bonus vouchers in 2021-22 awarded to staff categorised in the Department's Workforce Management Information reports for that year as part of the headcount for his core ministerial department was £753,735. In addition to that figure, £18,534 was spent on physical gifts for staff and £250 was made in charitable donations. Of the £5,860,748 spent on vouchers awarded to staff categorised in the Department's Workforce Management Information reports for 2022-23 as part of the headcount for his core ministerial department was £669,832. In addition to that figure, £14,984 was spent on physical gifts for staff and £160.00 was made in charitable donations. The Ministry of Justice actively promotes the use of Reward and Recognition within the department, as an important way to recognise staff for their work and efforts, acknowledging the impact this also has on employee engagement and wellbeing across the department.

Administration of Justice: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of devolving (a) probation services and (b) youth justice to Wales.

Edward Argar: The Government has considered the question of the devolution of justice to Wales and is clear that it is in the interests of the people of Wales for justice to remain a reserved matter, including in respect of probation services and youth justice.

Prisoners' Release

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who were released via an End of Custody Supervised Licence have been recalled to prison in 2023 to date.

Edward Argar: End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL), first implemented on 17 October 2023, is operating in 21 prisons and is a temporary measure in response to the current pressure on some prisons. Its use is targeted, and it will only operate in certain areas for a limited period of time. The Government regularly releases data and information in relation to prisoners’ release in the Prison Releases (quarterly) publication. We are currently reviewing our publication of data around these issues.

Prisoners' Release

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) guidance his Department has provided to and (b) discussions his Department has had with Prison Governors on the early release of prisoners 18 days before their planned release under Section 248 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003.

Edward Argar: Operational guidance for End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) was issued to governors. Governors implementing ECSL were briefed on the scheme and provided with training before its introduction. All governors were invited to a call to discuss the scheme following its introduction and weekly calls are held with Prison Group Directors. Daily calls are held with operational leads in Prison Group Directors’ offices, and governors and their staff can access support on ECSL from central teams.

Prisoners' Release

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were released from prison 18 days early under section 248 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 in the last 12 months.

Edward Argar: As the Lord Chancellor set out in his statement of 16 October, End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL), first implemented on 17 October 2023, uses s248 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 to remove onto licence some prisoners up to 18 days in advance of their automatic release date. Its use is targeted, and it will only operate in certain areas for a limited period of time. Data on Prison releases are routinely published as part of the Offender Management Quarterly Statistics, the latest available data goes to June 2023. The number of releases under s248 is not included in this publication but we are currently reviewing what statistics we routinely publish.

Open Prisons: Prisoners' Transfers

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 26 October 2023 to Question 203862 on Open Prisons: Prisoners' Transfers, what the criteria were for male prisoners to be deemed eligible for the Restricted Open Estate Transfer scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: The Restricted Open Estate Transfer (ROET) scheme was active from 25 September to 9 October. Eligibility for ROET was limited to prisoners serving a standard determinate sentence with an automatic release point at the halfway point of their sentence who were between 7 and 28 days away from their conditional release date. Fewer than 50 lower risk offenders were transferred as they progressed towards moving back into the community at the end of their sentence. Any prisoners showing concerning or violent behaviour were excluded.Prisoners in the following categories were deemed ineligible for ROET:Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) who are liable for deportation;Prisoners currently serving a sentence for any sexual offence or subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (sex offenders’ register) on releasePrisoners currently serving a sentence for a terrorist or terrorist connected offencePrisoners currently serving a sentence of 4 or more years for a violent offence;Category A prisoners (status of the prisoner, not the prison)Category B prisoners (status of the prisoner, not the prison)Prisoners currently serving a recallPrisoners currently remanded in custody on other mattersMultiple Agency Public Protection Act 2 and 3 casesPrisoners who are very high risk of serious harm (non-MAPPA cases)Prisoners whose victims are subject to the Victim Contact Scheme Prisoners should be excluded if their current behaviour or any known risk factors would make a current recategorisation decision inappropriate. These factors are:Anyone who had shown violent behaviour in jail or who could not be managed effectively in a Category D prison could be excluded.Prisoners currently or in the last 14 days located in segregation, unless the prison is satisfied that the circumstances of their segregation should not prevent their recategorisation – for instance those segregated at their request for their own protection.Prisoners on the E-list.Prisoners deemed locally to be ‘wholly unacceptable’ and therefore escalated via Silver Commanders to Gold for consideration.

Prisons: Mobile Phones

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce mobile phone use in prisons.

Edward Argar: It is a crime to possess or operate a mobile phone in prisons, and prisoners caught with devices can face extra time behind bars. Our £100 million Security Investment Programme, aimed at reducing crime in prisons, completed in March 2022, and included funding to reduce the smuggling of illicit items such as mobile phones into prisons, and our measures are producing results. This investment delivered 75 additional X-ray body scanners resulting in full coverage across the closed adult male estate. As of October 2022, we had recorded 28,626 positive indications, helping to tackle the supply mobile phones into prisons. We have invested in a variety of mobile phone detection and blocking equipment across the prison estate to reduce mobile phone use. HMPPS also have a specialist digital team who ensure the data from illicit devices (including mobile phones) that are found in possession of prisoners can be subsequently analysed enhancing our ability to evidence criminality.

Life Imprisonment

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were serving life sentences for second listed offences in prisons in England and Wales as of 7 November 2023; and how many of those individuals were sentenced (a) on or prior to 9 November 2000, (b) between 9 November 2000 and 4 April 2005 and (c) after 4 April 2005.

Edward Argar: As of 30 September 2023, the number of people serving life sentences for second listed offences in prisons in England and Wales is 259. We are not providing data as at 7 November because of the restrictions of the Code of Practice for Statistics. The information requested [the number of offenders serving a life sentence for second listed offences as at 07 November] is a subset of the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly which we routinely publish. Figures relating to population in prison, releases and recall of offenders for October-December 2023 are planned for publication on 25 April 2024.See table below for answer to question on sentencing.Period of SentenceRecalled LifeUnreleased LifeTotalBefore and including 09 November 2000493382After 09 November 2000 and up to 04 April 200511388201After 04 April 2005274976Total189170359 Given the periods covered, the figures given up to 04 April 2005 relate to the automatic life sentence which was then replaced by Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) on 05 April 2005. The life sentence for second listed offence was introduced some years after 2005. As such, we have combined the automatic life sentence and the life sentence for second listed offence.

Life Imprisonment

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were serving life sentences for second listed offences in prisons in England and Wales as of 7 November 2023; and how many of those were sentenced (a) prior to 4 April 2005 and (b) after 4 April 2005.

Edward Argar: As of 30 September 2023, the number of people serving life sentences for second listed offences in prisons in England and Wales is 259. We are not providing data as at 7 November because of the restrictions of the Code of Practice for Statistics. The information requested [the number of offenders serving a life sentence for second listed offences as at 07 November] is a subset of the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly which we routinely publish. Figures relating to population in prison, releases and recall of offenders for October-December 2023 are planned for publication on 25 April 2024.See table below for answer to question on sentencing.Period of SentenceRecalled LifeUnreleased LifeTotalBefore 04 April 2005162121283After 04 April 2005274976Total189170359Given the periods covered, the figures given up to 04 April 2005 relate to the automatic life sentence which was then replaced by Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) on 05 April 2005. The life sentence for second listed offence was introduced some years after 2005. As such, we have combined the automatic life sentence and the life sentence for second listed offence.

Prison Officers

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Question 13 of oral evidence taken before the Justice Committee on 24 October 2023, HC 1929, Session 2022–23, what the (a) total number and (b) additional cost was of prison officers on detached duty in each of the last 52 weeks.

Edward Argar: The table attached shows the number of Band 3 prison officers deployed on detached duty over the last 52 weeks. The costs shown are the average weekly additional costs per person, inclusive of incentivisation payments, travel and subsistence, and “Payment Plus” costs associated with additional travelling time.Table (xlsx, 20.1KB)

Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, how many (a) public and (b) private meetings the Committee has held in the last four years.

Sir Charles Walker: The Committee last met on 8 November 2023. The Committee publishes minutes of all its meetings on its website. These record which meeting agenda items were taken in public and in private. Between November 2019 and 15 November 2023, 15 meetings were held of which 11 were wholly in private and four had public sessions.